


How to seduce Diana Cavendish

by Infinitum



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: A little bit crazy, Akko is too pure for this world, Blushing 24/7, Chapters 1-8 have been rewritten, Diakko, Everyone else appears but I'm too lazy to tag them, F/F, Fluff and Angst, So I rewrote chapter 10 too whoops, but only a little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-15 09:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12317886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Infinitum/pseuds/Infinitum
Summary: She was totally -“- hopeless,” Akko grumbled despondently, slamming her head on the cafeteria table. She was completely and utterly hopeless.“Kehkehkeh, if you’re talking about yourself, tell us something we don't know,” she heard Sucy snicker.Akko let out a low whine at the jibe, and raised her head, letting her chin rest on the table. “How am I ever going to confess to Diana? I can't just go up to her and say ‘Diana I like you. Will you please go out with me?’”__________________________________________________Or in which Akko uses Google to get the girl





	1. "You should use Google"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I may have completely rewritten this fic, haha. But I actually finished it this time! I'll be uploading the new chapters really soon, I'm just finishing them off. There's quite a lot of differences that will become more and more apparent as you progress through the fic. It's still as daft as before but now contains extra fluff and feels, and a pinch of angst. I hope I did the characters justice since I put a lot of thought into their portrayals.

Kagari Atsuko had a problem. A very serious amazing and beautiful and - Agh, she really needed to stop doing that. Yeah, she had a problem. And that problem was the one and only Diana Cavendish. You see, she was maybe crushing on Diana a little bit. Just a few unexpected feelings and heart palpitations and butterflies and sweaty hands when she was with Diana. Nothing major. But still, those feelings were there and by the Nine Akko had no idea what to do about it. Diana was _Diana,_ and Akko was just… _Akko_. She was totally -

“- hopeless,” Akko grumbled despondently, slamming her head on the cafeteria table. She was completely and utterly hopeless.

“Kehkehkeh, if you’re talking about yourself, tell us something we don't know,” she heard Sucy snicker.

Akko let out a low whine at the jibe, and raised her head, letting her chin rest on the table. “How am I ever going to confess to Diana? I can't just go up to her and say ‘Diana I like you. Will you please go out with me?’”

“You actually could do that…” Lotte interjected quietly.

Akko gave Lotte a look of abject horror. “ _Ehhh?!_ Lotte that's crazy! She'd give me one of those Akko-I-sincerely-think-something-is-wrong-with-you looks and hate me and then we'd never ever be friends again and my whole life would be over and I'd have to return to Japan and give up all my hopes and dreams of being a witch forever!” Akko’s voice had risen to a shout at this point, and she was standing up with her hands planted on the table.

An awkward silence overcame the cafeteria. Akko looked around, noticing all the eyes on her. “G-Gomen,” she stammered, and sat back down. Sucy snickered at her embarrassment.

“Having Cavendish troubles eh, Akko?” laughed a familiar voice from behind. Akko tilted her head backwards over her chair to be greeted with the sight of Amanda looking down at her. Constanze and Jasminka flanked the American witch.

A strangled noise escaped Akko’s throat as she fought the blush heating her cheeks. “Of - Of course not!”

“Oh really~? Because I'm pretty sure I saw you drooling while staring at her in Finnelan’s class.”

“I- _Ehh_?! I didn't! Uh - ” Akko struggled for a retort.

Amanda’s smirk widened into a grin. “Not that I blame you… I think everyone has appreciated Diana’s boobs at some point.”

Akko's eyes widened. “I wasn't looking at her boobs!” She never did that! Kinda. Most of the time! “I was looking at her eyes! They're so blue and deep and beautiful and you could get lost in them.. “ Akko trailed off with a dreamy sigh.

“You're absolutely whipped.”

“Hai,” Akko replied without hesitation. There was no use denying it; the red and green team knew about her crush on Diana, and had for a while.

“You could look up some tips on Google,” suggested a quiet voice.

Akko looked at speaker, Jasminka, who was currently munching on a bag of crisps, in awe. “The Internet! Why didn't I think of that before?! Jaz, you're a genius!” she cried, and jumped out of her chair, wrapping Jasminka in a hug. Woah that was the best idea ever! Google would tell her exactly what to do, and she could get Diana to like her back and they could kiss and -

“Good luck using the Internet at Luna Nova,” Sucy interjected with a shark-like grin, and Akko’s excitement burst like a balloon.

" _Sucy~_ , ” she wailed, falling to the ground in a depressed heap. “Why’dya have to ruin all my ideas?!”

Sucy merely cackled in reply.

“It wasn't your idea in the first place, Akko,” Lotte chided her, but Akko ignored her and continued to mope on the floor. How was she ever going to confess to Diana?! How was she ever going to get Diana to like her back?!

Amanda laughed at Akko, despite the obvious _agony_  she was in, and plonked her foot on Akko’s head. Akko was too despondent to push Amanda’s foot off. She had no more ideas; she truly was hopeless…

“Constanze built her own Internet provider and router that works here, you could use that! Isn't that right, Conz?”

Akko grabbed Amanda’s leg, moving it off her head and jumped to her feet. “Holy shit Akko! Let go of my leg!” Amanda yelped, struggling to not fall over.

“Oh, sorry Amanda!” Akko chirped, but she really wasn’t sorry. Her head was not a footrest! After letting go of Amanda’s leg, Akko turned her attention to Constanze who looked oddly worried. She couldn’t be worried about Akko being in the lab, right? Nah, Akko helped Constanze a lot the last time she went down there! And there had only been one explosion, down from the average three! But it was better to be safe than sorry she had to go all out to get Constanze to help her. And that meant she had to employ her very best puppy-dog eyes.

“Please Constanze! You're the only hope I have at ever finding out how to get Diana to like me. You know how hopeless I am!” she begged, emphasizing her words with a pout and crocodile tears to boot. Constanze’s green eyes narrowed at the sight of Akko's infamous puppy-dog eyes, and a silent battle of wills ensued. This was the fight of the century; even the Missile Crisis could not match up to the pressure she was under to win. Constanze was always the hardest to convince, and she had seemed to improve even more; they were at an impasse. Akko needed to up the ante: she willed herself to cry, and a single tear trickled down her cheek. Constaze’s eyes widened at the tear - Yes! Constanze had let down her guard. Now was her chance! Akko pouted more than before, and sniffled slightly. If this didn’t work….

But Constanze rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. Success!

Akko squealed with happiness. “Thank you thank you thank you!” she beamed, and pulled Constanze into a hug. “Can I go down to your workshop now?” A nod was the reply.

“Only touch computer,” said Constanze’s stanbot menacingly and kicked Akko in the leg. Akko didn’t even flinch at the blow - she was way too happy at the moment! She was gonna find out how to confess to Diana!

“Ahhh~ Constanze you're the best!” Akko said with a grin before sprinting out of the cafeteria so fast a dust trail was left behind her.

The group of five witches shook their heads at Akko's disappearing figure. “Couldn't we have told her that Diana likes her too?” Lotte wondered. “I mean, it's extremely obvious, I don't know how Akko hasn't noticed.”

“That's because Akko is as dense as a sack of bricks when it comes to the obvious stuff,” Sucy replied. “And to answer your previous question... “ she looked across the table, and shared a mischievous grin with Amanda, “No, we won't tell her because where's the fun in that?” they said simultaneously.

Meanwhile Akko was looking up ‘ _how to get a girl to like you’_ on Google. She clicked on the first result.

“How to seduce a girl…” she read aloud. “I think that's the same thing as getting a girl to like you, isn't it? English is such a pain sometimes… “ she finished with a mutter. She scrolled further down the page. “Step one: Improve your eye contact. Yosh! Let's do this!” Akko exclaimed with a grin.


	2. Eye Contact

Since the beginning of class Diana had felt a strange prickling sensation all over her body. She had ignored the feeling at first, deeming it irrelevant but now it was...causing her some minor concern. 

Was someone staring at her? 

She furtively glanced around the room, making sure to pay attention to Professor Finnelan's lecture all the while in case a question was asked. (She could afford a temporary distraction as she studied this material a month ago anyways.)  Her azure eyes eventually came in contact with ruby ones.    


‘ _ Akko...?’ _

She rose a brow at Akko, asking a silent question, but Akko's expression remind one of severe concentration, not breaking the eye contact. 

_ ‘Is she... okay?’ _ Diana wondered. Her mind ran through any reasons why Akko would be unwell but came up with nothing.  _ ‘Hmm... If there is something bothering her, I'm sure she'll discuss it with me later. ’  _ Assured by this, Diana fully focused her attention on Professor Finnelan once more.

Diana was beginning to feel unnerved. She could feel Akko's eyes during every class, but Akko never approached her again. As the blonde left their third class of the day she was beyond perplexed. She walked alongside Hannah and Barbara towards the cafeteria, deep in thought. She was confused as to why Akko was staring at her. It was very odd considering Akko often slept during class much to the chagrin of their professors. She shook her head. Surely Akko would approach her if something was wrong.

“Did you notice that Akko has been staring at our table all day?” Hannah asked while the blue team walked to the cafeteria.

Diana snapped out of her thoughts at the mention of Akko’s name.

Hannah rolled her eyes. “Honestly, that girl needs to pay attention more in class.” She gave Barbara a knowing look. “It’s almost as if something  _ or someone _ was distracting her.”

Diana’s eyes widened marginally. “Someone, you say…”

“Oh speak of the dunce and she shall appear,” the duo giggled, Hannah jabbing her thumb behind her.

Diana looked over her shoulder. Akko was skipping down the corridor with Lotte and Sucy. “C’mon guys!” she hollered. “We need to grab a seat before they’re all gone!”

Then her eyes met Diana’s. Her expression flickered from happy to shocked, and then morphed into a serious one (by Akko’s standards). She looked back at the Red Team who nodded encouragingly (well, Lotte did) and when she looked back, Diana was met with a steely ruby stare.

Hannah and Barbara snickered beside her. “Wow what is with that stare - it’s amazing.”

“Good afternoon, Akko…” Diana said, trailing off with uncertainty.

Akko did not reply, but started to walk towards Diana, not breaking eye contact all the while. She was so engrossed in her task that she did not see Professor Lukić emerge from an adjacent classroom, carrying a series of vials in her arms.

 

_ CRASH! _

 

Akko walked straight into Professor Lukić and sent the vials flying to the ground. In her quick thinking, Diana managed to levitate all but two of the vials.

 

Two incredibly _dangerous_ vials.

Professor Lukić cackled “Eheheh! Anyone who doesn’t want to explode, generate a shield!” and dived out of the way, taking Akko with her. Wordlessly, Diana cast the shielding spell around herself and the rest of the blue team. The substances from the two shattered vials began to mix together to form a smoking black goo. A second later it exploded with a massive  _ boom _ that blew out all the windows in the vicinity and scorched all the walls black with soot.

Diana coughed, the smoke tickling her lungs. She created a light breeze to blow the smoke out of the window. Her eyes settled on Professor Lukić and Akko, sprawled on the floor with a barrier over them. “Professor Lukić, Akko, are you alright?” she asked worriedly, walking over to them.

With a hacking cough Professor Lukić stood up. “I’m fine eheheh. But for this one…” she toed Akko with her boot. Akko groaned in response and sat up. Ruby eyes looked around in horror. “Oh I am so screwed.”

Diana helped Akko to her feet. She winced in sympathy for the Japanese witch. “It was not your intention to cause such a… disaster so I sincerely doubt you will get in much -”

“WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!” a shrill voice roared from further down the corridor. Akko recoiled at the familiar voice. “Aw man…”

Professor Finnelan stormed past the crowd of students that had gathered around the scene. She saw destruction and Akko. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together. “Ms Kagari, what disaster did you cause this time?!”

Akko looked at the floor, her face burning with embarrassment. “I - It was an accident…”

Professor Finnelan snorted. “You say that every time you muck up and destroy something in this fine establishment! You’ll have detention for the next  _ month _ after causing such a ruckus.”

The sound of mad cackling interrupted Professor Finnelan’s lecture. Everyone looked at the source, Professor Lukić. The witch cackled until she was left clutching her stomach. “It’s always entertaining when you get riled by the students, Anne.”

Professor Finnelan’s eyebrow twitched. “What happened here, Professor Lukić?” she asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“Young Kagari bumped into me by accident  and I dropped my vials. It is  _ so _ unfortunate that the dangerous one’s mixed together…” Professor Lukić smiled creepily.  “Eheheh, there’s no need to worry about giving this one detention. She’ll be scrubbing pots with me until her fingers bleed.” And then Professor Lukić walked away, pulling Akko along by the ear.

“Nooooo! Save me Diana!” were Akko’s last words as she was dragged away.

Diana could do nothing but stand there dumbfounded as Akko was dragged away. Even she did not dare to stop Professor Lukić. Something about that woman was… unusual. She would have to check up on Akko at a later time. She looked at Professor Finnelan. “Do you require my assistance in fixing this?”

Diana did not see Akko until much later in the day. In fact it was night time. “Akko, I assumed you would have the common sense to not skulk around after curfew considering today’s events.”

Akko yelped and spun around. “ _ Diana! _ You scared the crap out of me!”

Diana rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Akko.” She walked up to the brunette and grabbed Akko’s hands to inspect them. “You are unharmed. Thank goodness,” she murmured. A part of her was honestly surprised that Akko was not in the infirmary - it was where many students ended up after literally explosive detentions with Professor Lukić.

Akko blinked owlishly. “ _ Ohhhhh.  _ You’re talking about earlier. Lukić-sensei didn’t make me clean anything! She thanked me for causing the most destruction Luna Nova has seen in ten years. And then said she had to go torture some first years. She’s so creepy...” Akko shuddered. Diana was inclined to agree with that statement.

“I see. And I assume Professor Finnelan was not made aware of this fact?”

Akko paled. “Agh I hope not!”

It was then Diana noticed some soot left on Akko’s face. She sighed fondly. The blonde raised her hand to rub the pad of her thumb against Akko’s cheek. “How did you manage to get soot on your face despite Professor Lukić creating a barrier?”

Akko looked away with a pout. “I dunno!”

Diana could feel Akko’s cheek heating up under her touch. She dropped her hand and stepped back. “Th-The soot is gone now.”

“Ah, thank you Diana!” Akko grinned, her eyes shining brightly.

Diana smiled fondly. A silence stretched between them. Looking into Akko’s eyes, Diana remembered something. “Akko, was there a particular reason you were staring at me today?”

Akko blanched. A bead of sweat trickled down her face. “Ah well- um…I. You see there’s a really good explanation for this...”

Diana raised an eyebrow skeptically. Something was definitely amiss. " _ Akko. _ If there is something wrong you are aware you can confide in me, right?" 

Akko chuckled nervously, not meeting Diana’s eyes. "Ah, of course Diana. But nothing's wrong - I swear!" she replied, with an overly enthusiastic nod. Diana was completely unconvinced. An awkward silence ensued as Akko floundered underneath Diana’s unimpressed gaze.  "W-well I better be going, Sucy wants me to try out a new potion," Akko finally managed to choke out. 

Diana frowned as Akko slowly backed away from her. At what Akko seemed to judge a suitable distance from Diana, the brunette swivelled on her heel and ran away.  "That was… very strange. Even for Akko," Diana muttered.


	3. Physical Contact

"Small touches like brushing your hand against theirs when walking, touching their shoulders when talking or even sudden hugs are bound to get your girl seeing you in a brand new light," Akko read aloud in the privacy of the red team dorm room.  Lotte was out at a Nightfall convention with Barbara, and Sucy... who even knows what Sucy is doing.

 _‘Probably trying to find ingredients for the next nasty potion she's gonna make me drink,’_ Akko grumbled internally.

Since Akko began her noble quest to seduce Diana Cavendish, she had spent a lot of time in Constanze’s lab researching tips. Unfortunately the lab was full of hazardous materials and dangerous equipment. It proved... disastrous. Explosions became a common occurrence in Luna Nova, although no-one could isolate the source. Constanze’s patience was pushed past the limit when Akko accidentally set fire to Constanze’s latest blueprints. She had consequently been barred from the lab for life. Akko pouted, recalling the event. It wasn’t really her fault that everything went on fire; she didn’t know the blowtorch safety was off! There should be warnings for that kind of stuff!

To make sure Akko never came back, Constanze had built Akko a laptop. Which, in Akko’s humble opinion, was the best thing ever! The laptop had proved an invaluable addition in Akko's quest; she could Google stuff whenever she wanted wherever she wanted! (But she had to promise not to get caught. Technology was generally not allowed in Luna Nova after all.)

“Ahh, Constanze is amazing~” Akko murmured while scrolling further down the site. The eye contact step hadn't worked like she hoped, but she was pretty confident about this step! After all, who doesn't like hugs?!

* * *

“And that's all for this lesson.”

Akko woke up with a jolt at the familiar words. Wiping the drool from her face, she packed up her books and stood up to leave. She needed to find Diana quickly.

“Akko, did you listen to any of that class?” came Lotte’s voice from beside her, sounding slightly exasperated.

Akko opened her mouth to reply, but Sucy spoke first. “Do you even have to ask? Our idiot never pays attention in class.”

“You're so mean to me Sucy,” Akko cried. She does pay attention sometimes, she really does! It’s just… astronomy is sooo boring!

“Kehkehkeh, I just tell the truth.”

Akko's attention was drawn to the flash of blonde in her peripheral. Only one girl had platinum blonde hair in their class; _Diana. “_ Time for part two of my plan!” Akko exclaimed, and ran out of the class after the young heiress.

“Well, this is going to be entertaining,” Sucy snickered, watching the whirlwind that was Akko leave the room.

“Is it not a bit much to hug Diana after failing the first step?” Lotte wondered aloud. Sucy shrugged in reply.

Akko quickly caught up with Diana, who was busy talking to Hannah and Barbara. Akko froze with a grimace. Of course they’d be there… Maybe she could just do it another time when - Akko slapped her cheeks to interrupt that thought. Nope! She’d do it now! She’s Kagari Akko, the witch who gathered the Seven Words of Arcturus and unlocked Grand Triskellion! She could hug Diana even if other people would see! Akko took in a deep breath to steel her resolve, and took off running towards Diana. “Diana!”

“Akko?” Diana questioned, turning around at the sound of the Akko’s voice. Her eyes widened at the sight of Akko flying towards her.

“Akko, no!” But it was too late, and Akko collided into Diana sending them flying down the astronomy tower stairs. They landed at the bottom of the stairs with a _crash_ , and Akko’s breath left her in a whoosh when Diana landed on top of her.

“Akko, what in the world possessed you to lunge at me beside a flight of stairs?!” Diana demanded, while getting off Akko. Akko tried to respond, but all that came out was a pitiful groan.

“Diana, are you okay?!” she heard Hannah and Barbara cry breathlessly, having ran down the stairs after them. “Yes girls, I am fine. There is no need to worry.” Akko could feel the dirty looks the duo were throwing her, even though she was still face-first on the ground. “Why the heck did you do that, you moron?” Hannah demanded.

“Girls, do not speak to Akko that way. Besides, I was just about to find Akko's reasoning for myself.”

Akko slowly rolled onto her back and sat up. “I… wanted to hug you?” Akko mumbled, avoiding Diana’s gaze.

“You wished to… hug me.”

“Yup.”

Diana pinched her nose and let out a deep, controlled breath. “You never fail to astonish me, Akko. But at least we both are uninjured,” she added as an afterthought, picking Akko off the ground.

The second Akko's left foot supported any weight, it buckled and the brunette yelped as her face began to approach the floor once more. Her descent was suddenly halted, however, and when she opened her eyes she found herself in Diana's embrace.

“I rescind my previous statement,” Diana said breathlessly, her tone worried. Akko’s jaw dropped at how close she was to Diana. _Stay calm stay calm stay calm._ Diana appeared unaware of Akko’s internal gay panic as she frowned deeply. The blonde glanced around the busy corridor. “It seems a change in venue may be necessary so I can heal you.” Akko followed Diana's gaze and cringed… So many people had stopped to look at the scene in front of them. Akko yelped again as her world shifted once more; Diana hooked one arm under Akko’s thighs and the other supported her back.  “Okay!” Akko squeaked in reply, unable to stop a blush spreading across her cheeks at her current position. ‘ _Diana’s princess carrying me holy crap aghhhh!’_

“Girls, I am going to take Akko to the nearest classroom to heal her. You need not wait for me; I shall see you at the dorms later.” Oh. Akko had forgot Hannah and Barbara were still there. Oh man this was so embarrassing! She tucked her head into Diana’s shoulder to hide her burning-hot face. She felt Diana’s breath hitch but paid it no heed… She was probably really heavy and Diana was struggling to carry her!

“But-” Barbara began to protest, which caused Akko to reluctantly raise her head and see Hannah interrupt Barbara by grabbing her wrist. Hannah tilted her head towards Diana and Akko and raised her brows. Barbara eyes widened and Akko gulped. Oh no, Hannah and Barbara knew about her feelings for Diana!

“Uh... nevermind. Have fun!” Barbara said too loudly and marched down the corridor.

Hannah glanced back and forth between between Diana and Barbara's retreating back. “Bye!” she exclaimed and jogged to catch up with Barbara.

“No running in the corridors girls!” Diana called, ever the model student.

“Sorry!” Hannah yelled and slowed as she caught up with Barbara.

“‘ _Have fun’_?! That was about as subtle as Akko is, you idiot,” Hannah hissed at Barbara as they went around the corner.

“Please ignore them, Akko. They…” Diana struggled to find the right words. Akko smiled at Diana’s floundering.

“Don't worry about it, Diana! They're right anyways - I'm definitely not subtle!” Akko responded with a grin.

Diana’s resulting giggle made Akko’s heart skip a beat. How could anyone be so cute?! It was definitely a crime - Akko was sure of that. Heh wouldn’t it be funny if she reported Diana to Finnelan-sensei for being too cute. She could just imagine how mad Finnelan-sensei would get!

Actually... That was a terrible idea - she’d have detentions for the rest of the year and would have no time to seduce Diana! Her random train of thought was brought to a halt when she realised they were no longer in the corridor and Diana was putting her down. Akko tried her best not to pout at the sudden loss of Diana’s warmth.

“I apologise for not asking your permission before picking you up earlier. M-My concern overrode my manners,” Diana said a bit bashfully, after placing Akko on the table.

“I-It’s okay!” Akko stammered in return. “How are you so strong anyways?!” she then exclaimed. She was honestly still shocked that Diana picked her up so easily; Akko was pretty heavy considering her size - She did work out a lot after all!

To her surprise, Diana laughed. “You are not the only one who exercises, Akko. And well, Shiny Chariot always seemed really strong, did she not? I deduced that physical strength can improve the potency of one’s magic… It improves your form, and of course has a massive impact on physical magics,” Diana paused, and her ears went red. “And I may also want to be able to keep up with you, Akko. You are very… um, energetic after all.”

“ _Ehhhhh?!_ You want to keep up with _me_?!”

Diana nodded, blushing even more. “Don’t sell yourself short, Akko. I know your magic has improved immensely as of late - and I know part of that is due to your physical fitness. I am certain that one day your magical ability will match your belief in magic. And I want to be beside you when that happens.”

Akko just nodded dumbly, rendered speechless by this admission. She bit back a gasp as Diana's fingers then proceeded to trail down her leg to pull off her boot. She was having a genuine crisis here -  how could Diana not know what she was doing to her?!

“You turned us as we fell so you'd end up on the bottom, didn't you?” Diana asked quietly while she examined Akko's injury. Akko winced when Diana prodded her ankle. At least the pain was a distraction from how much she was freaking out right now.

“Of course! I didn't want you to get hurt - especially since it was my fault!” Akko replied honestly.

She gulped when Diana paused her inspection and looked up at her with an earnest expression. “Thank you, Akko,” Diana murmured.

“Jeez… You shouldn’t be thanking me when I almost got you hurt.”

Diana shook her head and turned her attention back to Akko's injury. “I appreciate what you did nonetheless. Hmm. Your ankle is very tender, perhaps even fractured,” Diana muttered after finishing her inspection.

“Oh.. I must've hit it off one of the stairs.. C-Can you heal it?”

“I believe so,” Diana replied, taking out her wand. With a swish and flick of her wand, she enveloped Akko's leg in a green light. A warm sensation trickled its way across Akko's foot. It grew hotter as Diana’s wand grew brighter, and Akko couldn’t help but grimace at the heat. Gradually the light and heat began to fade, leaving Akko feeling a little tired.

“I expect your ankle should be healed now,” Diana eventually spoke. Akko jumped off the table with a grin. “Ah~ Thanks Diana!”

Diana reached out her arms towards Akko in alarm, but was visibly relieved to see that Akko could stand. “Akko,” Diana admonished her, “I said it was healed but that does not mean you should jump around on it so soon. Healing magic merely expedites the healing progress - It will have drained a lot of energy from you.”

“Oh, sorry!” Akko said and grinned when Diana rolled her eyes at the insincere apology. Eh, of course she’d be completely fine. It was Diana who healed her ankle and she was one of the best healers in Luna Nova!

“Oh… T-Thank you, Akko…”

“Eh?!” Akko blinked. Ah. She said that aloud, didn’t she. Akko rubbed the back of her neck and looked away from Diana. “Ah… Well, it’s true.”

There was a brief awkward silence until Diana cleared her throat. “Now this… mishap has been dealt with, I must insist that next time you wish to um, hug me, please ask me for permission or at the very least make sure we are not near a flight of stairs,” she said dryly.

“Yes ma’am!” Akko saluted. She’d definitely check for stairs from now on. You never knew when they’d sneak up on you.

“Well, I best be going. That essay assigned to us by Professor Chariot is not going to - “ Diana started heading for the door, causing panic to bloom in Akko - she had to do something! They were having a moment!  

“What about now?” Akko blurted out, grabbing Diana’s sleeve.

“Pardon?”

“C-Can I hug you now?” Akko mumbled, looking down at the floor, her hand still grasping Diana's sleeve firmly.

“Oh.” Diana coughed and looked to the side. “I-I suppose I am not opposed to the idea if you insist on it. There are no stairs to fall down this time after all.”

Akko grinned at how cute and bashful Diana was being right now, and moved closer to her. She slowly wrapped her arms around Diana’s waist, giving her a chance to back away if she didn’t feel comfortable. She felt Diana stiffen for a moment, but then she relaxed and Akko rested her head against Diana’s shoulder. “I think the other person is meant to hug back,” Akko mumbled against Diana’s shoulder a moment later.

“I-I apologise,” Diana stammered. Akko giggled and pulled Diana even closer. Oh man this was the best feeling ever! But then… a random thought struck Akko. When was the last time someone hugged Diana? Diana was so closed off from everyone else… She even kept up certain appearances in front of Hannah and Barbara, although she had opened up a lot since the Missile Crisis. So when, considering her okaa-san and oto-san had died when she was young, when did someone last hug Diana?

“Ne, Diana?” Akko murmured. “When was the last time you were hugged?”

“Oh.” Diana blinked, seemingly dumbfounded by the question. To Akko’s disappointment, Diana backed out of the hug and took a step back. “Honestly, I am not quite sure.” Diana looked away from her, lost in thought. “I… suppose it was back when my mother was alive…”

“Oh...” Akko replied quietly. Her brows furrowed in thought. She didn’t mean to make Diana sad… She had to fix this. An idea then popped into her head and a grin grew on her face. “I'll just have to make up for that!” she yelled, pumping one hand in the air, and placing the other on her hip. “I'll give you so many hugs that you'll have no choice but to get used to them!”

Diana's cheeks flushed pink. “Ak-Akko that is completely unnecess-”

“Nope! Nothing you say will convince me that you don't need hugs,” Akko interrupted. Diana began to protest again, but Akko pulled her into another hug. “That's hug number two!” she exclaimed. “Number three and four and five and six - you get the idea - they'll all be coming soon!” Akko briefly hugged Diana tighter and then let go of her

Poor Diana was left beyond flustered and barely capable of forming a sentence. Akko then smiled softly at the speechless girl in front of her. It made her feel sad that Diana was so unused to affection… but this, this was a step in the right direction.

“Oh yeah, wanna work out with me from now on?”

“S-Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're both such gay messes <3


	4. Compliment her body!

Akko had another problem. It involved Diana, of course, but it was a different kind of problem this time. She wasn’t sure how to approach the next step in the guide: ‘Compliment her body.’ Sure, there was so much she could say about Diana’s body… Her gorgeous blue eyes, her soft blonde hair (Yeah, Diana really did let her run her fingers through Diana’s hair before and she nearly died from a gay overload), her figure… It was better if she didn’t think about that too much because she would honestly DIE from gayness. Was that even possible? If it was, Akko would definitely be the first to die from it because the other day Diana  _ hugged her first _ . (She still hasn’t recovered.) Diana's warm reception to step two had Akko feeling quite determined to begin step three, but she needed help. And what better place than the Internet?    


The opportunity finally presented itself when Jasminka put forward the suggestion to have a picnic when the weather was still good. Everyone brought a bit of food with them, bar Diana who packed two full baskets of food because ‘ _I was under the impression we were feeding Akko too, not just us.’_ No-one had a retort to this (even Amanda) since Akko's appetite… well, it was just something else. And oh boy Akko was ecstatic! Platters upon platters of food Diana had prepared just for _her!?_ For a moment she thought she had died and gone to heaven. 

She spent the next half an hour inhaling the food, much to the horror of everyone else. (Except Sucy and Amanda. Sucy, in fact, recorded the whole thing which was very, very annoying.)

After swallowing the last sandwich, Akko shuffled closer to Diana on the picnic blanket. Diana was not talking to anyone at the moment, she was busy eating a slice of apple tart. It was time to put the third part of her plan into action!  

"Ne, Diana?” Akko swallowed thickly as Diana looked over at her. "Yes, Akko?" she said a moment later, after swallowing the tart. Akko faltered under the intense blue gaze. Oh wow maybe she should just compliment Diana’s eyes because she really could just get lost in them… Wait no! She couldn’t get distracted, Reddit had already  helped her come up with a foolproof plan. Akko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could do this!

“YourassislikegrassandIwannamowit!” 

Yes, she nailed it! That went so well - Oh. Diana looked really confused.

"I-I beg your pardon?!"  Akko's brows furrowed. Oh okay, maybe not so well. She’d just say it slower this time. "I.. Uh..." She glanced at her hand before speaking. Just in case. "Your ass is like grass and I wanna mow it."

  
A deep blush worked its way across Diana's cheeks and down her neck. "Akko! Of all the preposterous-" Diana then stood up and stormed off, furiously muttering under her breath.    
  
Akko’s jaw dropped. What - "What did I say wrong?! It’s a Bob’s Burgers reference - my Reddit friend told me you can’t go wrong with them!”   
  
Her shocked morphed into anger when Amanda burst in laughter. “I can't believe she actually believed me when I said Reddit is the best place for love advice!”

“Ehhh?! You tricked me Amanda!” and she lunged at the American witch. She’d teach her a lesson for messing with her plan!

“Oi! Akkoooo!”

* * *

 

“Chariot-sensei you've gotta help me!” Akko wailed, sprinting into Chariot's office.

“Akko?” Chariot questioned, looking up from the papers at her desk. “What's wrong? Are you okay?” she fretted, jumping out of her chair and giving Akko a once over. Her breath hitched in alarm when she noticed how disheveled Akko was. The girl had an angry welt on one cheek, and a plaster on the other. “Akko, what -”

“Diana  _ hates  _ me!” Akko cried out, interrupting her. Chariot blinked.  “Akko I'm sure Diana doesn't hate you, in fact I'm quite sure she l-”

“I told her that her ass is like grass and I wanna mow it!”

“You  _ what?!”  _ Chariot choked. 

“I told her her ass is like-”

Chariot put up her hands to stop Akko. “No, no, I heard you the first time, I was just shocked Akko. Why would you say something like that to Diana?”

“Well.. I.. Uh.. “ Akko glanced at the floor with a red face, wringing her fingers. “Well, I was talking to MushroomLover on Reddit because I needed to find out how to compliment a girl and they said use a Bob’s Burger quote and I was like ‘Oh, that’s a great idea!’ because who doesn’t love Bob’s Burgers and then I said it to Diana but she hated it and now she hates  _ meeee, _ ” Akko whined. 

Oh dear. This really didn’t answer how Akko got hurt, but Chariot would sort out this… dilemma before asking about it. Not that it was really her place to talk about love… After all she never… Never… No, now was not the time to dwell on the past; she had a student who needed her assistance right now. “Akko,” she sighed, ruffling Akko's hair fondly. A smile grew on her lips when Akko leaned into the touch and sniffled dramatically. “Listening to random people on the Internet is not the right way to tell Diana that you like her.”

Akko looked up at her with teary eyes. “H-How do you do it so, Chariot-sensei?” Akko cried. 

“You tell her something that you believe with all your heart. After all: your believing heart is your magic. So, what do you like about Diana?” 

Akko’s face lit up with a beaming smile. “Everything! She’s so beautiful and smart and kind, and it’s so cute when she does that little cough when she’s embarrassed - Oh! And -”

Chariot chuckled. This would go on for a while if she didn’t intervene. “You wanted to um,” she blanched for a moment, “ _ compliment _ Diana’s looks, right?” Akko nodded eagerly. Chariot wasn’t even sure what to think of that compliment her student came up with - What was this  _ Bob’s Burgers _ ? She could only assume it was a tv programme or something. She really wasn’t up to date with technology; that was always Croix’s forte. And if Chariot didn’t know, Diana definitely wouldn’t know… The Cavendishes were not known for integrating with modern technology. 

“Akko, I understand why you wanted to give Diana a… grand compliment, but wouldn’t it be nice to say something simple that came from the bottom of your heart? You did say she was beautiful, why don’t you start with that?”

Akko blushed but nodded excitedly. “I will. Arigatou, Chariot-sensei!” she exclaimed and gave Chariot a hug. 

“You're welcome Akko,” Chariot smiled, and returned the hug. After a moment, Akko released her and started heading for the door.

“Akko, wait a moment.” Akko looked over her shoulder expectantly. “How did you get hurt?” 

Chariot’s eyes narrowed when Akko blanched and struggled to form a reply. She raised a skeptical eyebrow at her student, and beckoned her to come closer with her finger. Akko grudgingly obliged, gulping audibly. Chariot would admit that not many students considered her a... stern teacher like Anne Finnelan, (None, actually. Her Ursula persona had been a bit of a pushover, and she was still recovering from the reputation that came with it.) but by the Nine, she had a mean stare that made the most stubborn of students admit the truth. She didn’t use it very often, but when she did… She almost pitied Akko whose eyes were darting back and forth uncomfortably; the girl would cave in a moment and tell her. Any second now...

“Eh...Well, I kinda got in a fight with Amanda…”

“You ‘kinda’ got in a fight?”

“Yeah…”

“Akko, what have I told you about fighting? I said I’d teach you combat magic on the promise that you would not use it unless it was necessary.”

“I promise I didn’t use magic! We just fought!”

Chariot considered her students words. She felt guilty for assuming the worst, but it did look like it had been a serious fight… “Ah… Sorry Akko, I should not have presumed you used combat magic. But still, you shouldn’t be fighting anyone!”

Akko nodded sheepishly. “G-Gomen, Chariot-sensei.” And then she smirked, “I totally won though!”

“ _ Akko... _ ” Chariot chided. She repressed the urge to shake her head when Akko’s eyes widened and she yelped out another apology. “Come closer so I can heal that bruise,” she said finally, fondness warming her tone.

It was a while after Akko left her room that Chariot came to a conclusion.  _ ‘MushroomLover… Definitely the work of that mischievous Manbavarum.’ _ And she couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

It was the following day when Akko decided to talk to Diana again. She wanted to set things right as soon as possible. She needed to. “Diana!” Akko called, following Diana out of Chariot-sensei’s class. Chariot-sensei had nodded at her encouragingly when she was heading out the door, and it had made her a little less nervous. But an angry Diana was a scary Diana after all…

Akko winced when Diana didn’t stop walking and huffed “Akko, if you are planning to say anything remotely as absurd as what you said yesterday, please desist.” 

“N-no I wasn't going to, I swear!” Akko protested. “I-I’m really sorry about that. I didn't realise that you wouldn’t get the reference…” she trailed off, a blush lighting up her face. 

This caused Diana to pause, and she spun around to face Akko. “A reference to what?” she asked. Akko’s brows furrowed as she thought of the best explanation.

“Ah well… It’s this show called Bob’s Burgers - Oh my god it’s so funny - and I just thought it’d be funny to make a reference but um, I forgot that you probably wouldn’t have seen it before and…. Yeah, my bad,” she finished her ramble with an awkward chuckle. Hopefully Diana would see the apology in that mess of a sentence and then they could be friends again because Diana not liking her is something she could accept, but… not being friends with Diana, especially over something as stupid as this, it caused something painful to lurch in Akko’s chest. She was ready to beg Diana to forgive her, she really was! Akko bit her lip anxiously, waiting for Diana’s reaction. Diana sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. “What is it you would like to tell me anyways?”

“I umm. .. I... Eh…” Akko glanced around her at the busy corridor. She really couldn’t say it here… Both her and Diana would die of embarrassment! So she reached out and grabbed Diana’s wrist, and tugged Diana back into Chariot-sensei’s classroom, ignoring Diana’s yelp of surprise. Her classmates had already left the room, but Chariot was still there. Akko gave her sensei a meaningful look, who nodded subtly and quickly made an excuse to leave. Akko let out a sigh of relief, thank the heavens for Chariot! Okay, now she just had to - 

“Akko, why have you dragged me into Professor Chariot’s classroom? We do not have much time before our next class, and it is on the other side of Luna Nova.” Akko grimaced, Diana was right, their timetable was so annoying and had Akko running all over the place half of the time! But that didn’t matter right now. It was time to tell Diana that - 

“I just wanted to let you know that I think you're beautiful!” she blurted out, closing her eyes in fear of Diana’s reaction. After a moments silence, Akko began to open her eyes slowly, wincing even, afraid that Diana would still be angry.

She was greeted with the most astonishing sight: Diana was as still as a statue and sported a tomato red blush; even her ears and neck hadn't escaped the red hue that had worked its way across her face. It was possibly the cutest thing Akko had ever seen. Nah, it was definitely the cutest thing she had ever seen. Wow, she had rendered Diana Cavendish completely speechless, she was almost proud of herself. And Diana’s blush! She fought the urge to squeal because she had never seen Diana blush so hard. Oh. She just realised... Diana had still not said anything, and Akko was sure a good minute had passed while she freaked out internally.

“D-Diana?” she asked hesitantly. 

Diana seemed to snap out of the trance she was in. “Ahem,” she coughed and turned her head to the side. When Diana looked back at Akko her face was impassive, but Akko couldn’t take her seriously with the blush that still stained her cheeks. Heh, Diana really was so cute when she tried to hide her embarrassment.

Diana gasped, and the blush that had been slowly retreating had come back in full force.

Akko blinked. “Ah... I said that out loud?” Diana’s stiff nod confirmed her suspicions. Whoops. Akko pouted stubbornly, feeling her cheeks heat up. Diana was probably gonna give out to her for embarrassing her so much… “Agh I really need to stop doing that, but it’s true though! You are cute! And beautiful! I-I meant what I said.”

“Oh… Akko, th-thank you very much. Um…” Diana trailed off, she seemed unsure of what to say, and a silence grew between them. Akko shifted awkwardly. The silence itself wasn’t awkward, but it was the pensive expression on Diana’s face that made her nervous. Akko didn’t know what to say, and she didn’t want to interrupt Diana. She really hated not knowing what to do!

“Akko… I-I would like to inform you that I think you are quite beautiful too,” Diana finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. Oh.  _ Ohhhhhh. _ And Akko’s brain completely short-circuited. She was barely aware of the the squeak that escaped her lips. It was the noise of a door closing that rebooted Akko’s brain, and she finally noticed that Diana had left the room.

She stared at the door in shock. That had just happened. Diana called her beautiful. Diana called her beautiful! A grin so wide it hurt her cheeks grew on her face, and she couldn’t help squeal with happiness. Could this mean that Diana had feelings for her too?! But maybe… Akko deflated a little bit. There was a chance that Diana was just repaying the compliment because she thought she had to… Lots of people told Diana she was beautiful all the time, why would it be different if Akko told her… Akko slapped her cheeks to focus herself. She couldn’t be so negative. She had never seen Diana blush so much when other people said it, so she had a chance! She would keep following the guide and seduce Diana Cavendish!

“Wait,” Akko said aloud, her eyes widening in horror. “Agh I’m late for class!” and she sprinted out of the door.


	5. Flowers

Diana Cavendish was completely and utterly bamboozled. She had a problem on her hands that she was not quite sure how to solve, and that problem involved the one and only Akko Kagari. Akko had been acting rather… strange as of late. Stranger than usual, anyways. Ignoring all the disasters Akko had caused recently (like knocking them both down the stairs!), Akko had hugged her, Akko had called her b-beautiful - Diana could feel her cheeks heat at the thought -  yes, Akko had been doing a lot of strange things recently. Diana had a theory as to what it meant, but she dared not assume… She dared not to hope that Akko returned her feelings. She supposed she could just ask Akko, but the thought of that sent a spike of fear deep into her chest. She could not risk her friendship with Akko on some whimsical feelings and a suspicion. She was not even sure if she could accept Akko’s feelings if they were actually there. As a Cavendish, she had a duty to fulfill and being in a relationship was not part of that. And that was not even taking into account that Akko was a girl. Akko being a girl did not bother Diana of course, but there would be backlash from the magical community. It was… It was important to continue your family’s lineage after all. Thus, she had to distance herself from Akko for a while, just so she could regain control over her emotions. So she could ensure she did not make a mess of everything.

“Diana?”

Diana blinked in surprise, realising she had been staring out the window for quite a while. She glanced around Professor Finnelan’s classroom; everyone’s eyes were on her. Hannah and Barbara were looking at her confusedly. She then looked at Professor Finnelan who seemed slightly concerned. “My sincerest apologies, Professor. What was your question?” She ignored the murmurs that erupted after she spoke, no doubt they were gossiping about how Diana Cavendish was not paying attention in class. After answering the question, Diana fought the urge to return her gaze to the window. It would not do for her to be caught not paying attention twice.

Diana swiftly packed up her books when the bell rang, and hurried out of the classroom before anyone could question her. Or at least she tried to. She was barely out the door before someone had latched onto her arm and spun her around.

“Diana, are you -” Akko began, her brows pinched with worry. Before Akko could finish her sentence, Hannah and Barbara entered the fray. “Diana!” they both cried. Blast it. This is not what she wanted. She appreciated their concern, but she wanted to avoid a confrontation -

“Hey Akko, let go of her arm!”

Diana found herself pulled forward when Hannah grabbed Akko’s arm and tugged. Akko and Hannah glared at each other fiercely, and Diana knew she had to interfere before a fight broke out.

“Ahem. Ladies, there is no need to quarrel. Hannah, please let go of Akko. She merely wished to grab my attention.”

Diana frowned when the trio looked at her blankly. Had she said something wrong…?

“Did you just make a pun…?” Hannah gasped. Diana’s eyes widened. She had, hadn’t she?

“It was not intentional!” Puns were such a lowly form of humour, they were something that brute Amanda enjoyed and - And then Diana was wrapped in a crushing hug. “Oh my god Diana made a pun! Hannah, Barbara, did you hear that?! I’m so proud of you Diana~”

Never in her life had Diana felt such mortification. Over a pun, no less. “Akko, release me this instant!” To her relief, Akko let her go. But Akko proceeded to wipe an imaginary tear from her eye and sighed wistfully. “They grow up so fast…”

Hannah patted Akko on the shoulder. “It’s true,” she said sagely. “Her first pun. Then what?”

“She’ll have her own stand-up routine before we know it,” Barbara added, staring off into the distance. And then they all sighed in unison. Diana felt her ears burn with embarrassment. She was glad Akko had improved her relationship with Hannah and Barbara, but at Diana’s expense?

A strangled noise escaped her throat. “Of all the -”

“Akko, we’re gonna leave you with our dearest Diana. Maybe you can teach her some new puns?” Hannah made an atrociously exaggerated wink at Akko, and then ran off. Barbara giggled and followed her immediately.

“No running in the corridors!” Diana huffed, and then let out a sigh. She didn’t even know how to react when they teased her like this. And Akko! Usually Akko did not tease her. She narrowed her eyes at the brunette. What was she up to?!

“Ah, please don’t look at me like that Diana!” Akko squeaked. “I was only messing, I swear!”

Diana narrowed her eyes even further, causing Akko to shift awkwardly. After what she deemed enough time to make Akko sweat, Diana stopped glaring. Akko let out a sigh of relief, and Diana rolled her eyes. Hopefully that would dissuade Akko from teasing her in the future.

“What is it you were trying to say to me earlier, Akko?”

“Oh um, I was gonna ask if you were okay… But I think you’ve cheered up now!”

Diana’s eyes widened. Oh it had all been a distraction. The girls had teased her to make her feel something other than the doubt that had been plaguing her recently. She smiled softly. They were all so silly, but she did feel a little better.

“Yes, it seems I have. Thank you, Akko.”

“No problem!” Akko chirped. Then she frowned thoughtfully. “Oh will you come with me, Diana? There’s something I want to show you. I promise you’ll like it!”

“Hmm. As long as it does not involve puns.”

Akko chuckled at that. “It doesn’t! I swear on the Shiny Rod!”

Diana’s lips quirked at that promise. “Let us depart so. I assume you’ll lead the way?”

“Yeah! Come with me!”

Diana felt her cheeks warm at the blinding grin Akko sent her way, and she swore her heart skipped a beat when Akko took her hand. So much for controlling these feelings. Diana soon found herself outside in the courtyard. It was empty besides herself and Akko; the other students were currently in the cafeteria for lunch.

“Akko, why have you brought me here?” she asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled as they walked together.

“I… eh… I wanted to give you a present, so I found this neat spell in the library that should do the trick.”

“Akko, it is not necessary to give me gifts, “ Diana chided softly. “And a new spell, you say? What is it called?” She noticed Akko waving her wand and her eyes widened in alarm. “Wai-”

“Metamorph Floreas!” Akko cried, with her eyes closed.

And that was how Diana Cavendish was transformed into a flower. To say it was a shock to her system was an abhorrent understatement. The transformation had been thankfully painless, but still, she was a _flower_. And there was a very clumsy Akko Kagari trampling around trying to find her.

“ _Ehhh?!_ Diana, where did you go?”

If Diana had hands, she would be pinching the bridge of her nose right now. But she didn’t, so she settled on scowling at Akko’s towering figure. “... I'm down here, Akko.”

“Where?!” Akko cried, coming uncomfortably close. By the Nine she was way too close and Diana closed her eyes before she saw up Akko's skirt-

“Underneath you,” Diana hissed, gritting her teeth in pain.

“Underneath..?”

Diana counted the seconds until Akko found her.

3… 2… 1...

A scream so shrill erupted from Akko’s mouth that it was heard across the entire campus of Luna Nova.

Akko’s face was ashen as she struggled to form words. She fell to her knees and scooped Diana into her hands.  “I-I turned you into a flower?!”

“Yes, you transformed me into a flower,” Diana said monotonously.

“I-I don't under- How?!”

“Did you not read the instructions of the Metamorph Floreas spell?” Diana asked, even though she already knew the answer.

Akko laughed nervously. “Ah, well, I may have skimmed over.. all - most of it.”

Diana rolled her eyes. “I am not particularly surprised. The Metamorph Floreas spell, like other spells in the _Metamorph_ category, is a transformation spell rather than a conjuration spell. Since you did not choose yourself or an object as your item to transform, the spell latched on to something you associated with the spell - _me_.”

“ _Ehhh?!_ I'm so so so so sorry Diana!” Akko cried. “I only wanted to give you some flowers and maybe impress you by making them with magic! How can I turn you back?!”

“I believe this is slightly out of your skillset, Akko,” Diana stated. When she noticed Akko beginning to protest, Diana quickly continued “the potion to undo my... predicament is a highly advanced one. Only one with an extremely high aptitude in potions would be able to create a successful antidote.”

“ _Ohhhh…_ ”

“Yes,” Diana confirmed. “And I believe Ms Manbavaran would be a suitable candidate for this task.”

“Sucy?” Akko questioned. “Aw man, I'll have to be her test subject for month for this,” she shuddered visibly. “Can't we get a professor?”

“You wish to inform a professor that you turned me into a flower while attempting to give me flowers?” Diana asked, her brow raised skeptically.

“Sucy it is!” Akko said enthusiastically, pumping her fist in the air. Diana just rolled her eyes in response.

“Please pick up my wand before we leave.”

* * *

“Are you sure you want to turn her back? We could always just pot her.” Were Sucy’s first words when Diana explained her predicament. She should have expected Sucy to be difficult.

“Flowers from the _Metamorph Floreas_ spell do not require soil like real flowers, ” Diana stated factually, with a slight hint of venom at such an absurd suggestion. If Sucy even _attempted_ to do that…

“I still say we pot her and give her to Finnelan as a… _student present.”_

 _“Sucy~”_ Akko whined.

“Fine, fine. Here's the potion,” Sucy grumbled handing Akko a bottle filled with a black substance. Akko beamed. “Thanks Sucy!”

“By the way, if you use the potion Diana will probably be-”

Diana’s eyes widened. She definitely would be -

“-naked,” Sucy finished, rolling her eyes at Akko's impatience.

As the smoke began to dissipate, Diana quickly categorised the good and bad points about her current situation.

 _The Good:_ She was human again. She would not be forced to spend the rest of her days as a flower.

 _The Bad:_ She was completely naked. She was completely naked in a room with other people. One of those people was _Akko_.

She quickly grabbed her wand from Akko’s hand, and transfigured Akko’s bedsheets into a dress of sorts. It was not her best work, but desperate times call for desperate measures. But by the strangled noise that had escaped Akko’s throat as the robe wrapped itself around her, Diana knew that Akko had caught a glimpse of her. Diana willed her cheeks not to heat up. Perhaps she was wrong and Akko just choked on a fly or something in the air. Yes, that was what happened. She let out a small cough into her fist to regain of her composure.

“Girls,” she began, her eyes closed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, “we shall never speak of this… mishap again.”

She heard Sucy snicker behind her, and manage to contain her irritation to a minor twitch of her brow. She opened her eyes and faced the Filipino witch with narrowed eyes. “I am completely serious, Manbavaran. I detest resorting to such… unbecoming tactics, but wouldn't it be a shame if the faculty somehow became aware of the Malazest fungus you're growing in the dungeons?”

Sucy swallowed audibly, and then sighed dramatically. “You've hit me where it hurts, Diana. Although… I wouldn't have told anyone about the mole on your ass regardless.”

“Thank y- I beg your pardon?!” Diana spluttered indignantly.

Sucy’s hooded eyes shifted to the right of Diana and she cackled.  “Oh look, I think Akko is going to pass out from blood loss. ” and resumed working on her next potion.

“What?!” Diana spun around, panicked, and gasped when she saw Akko lying on the floor with blood pouring out of her nose.

“Akko, are you alright?!”

“Hmmm,” Akko sighed dreamily in reply, her eyes unfocused.

Diana knelt down beside Akko and shook her shoulders gently. “Akko!”

“Diana..? Oh man I saw her naked...” Akko giggled, her head lolling to the side.

Diana's face flushed. So Akko had seen her and… this was her reaction?! She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “What am I supposed to do with you?”

“I'm sure Akko would love it if you do _her_ ,” Sucy teased. Diana could almost _hear_ the mischievous smirk she had on her face.

Akko's eyes opened slightly.  “True, heheh.” And a new flood of blood burst out of Akko's nose.

 _“Sucy!”_ Diana scolded, glaring at Sucy over her shoulder. When she looked back, Akko had passed out with a creepy smile on her face.

Diana resisted the urge to facepalm. “This is the most ridiculous turn of events I have ever endured.”

“True,” Sucy cackled. “But it is Akko we're talking about; she's a magnet for ridiculous.”

Diana sighed in response, and looked once more at Akko. Thankfully the nosebleed had stopped, but it had made quite a mess of Akko’’s face and uniform. Diana gripped her wand tighter and pointed it at Akko. The tip of her wand glowed purple, and she nodded in satisfaction when the bloody stains disappeared. Hooking her arms under the backs of Akko's knees and the other behind Akko's head, Diana lifted the smaller girl and placed her gently in her bed. Tucking Akko in she whispered “If you so wished to give me flowers, normal ones would have more than sufficed, you silly girl. Although I appreciate the sentiment all the same…. the outcome was rather traumatic, however.”

She shuddered. Being transformed into a flower was an experience she would rather forget.

But then her attention focused on Akko's face once more. Without the blood and creepy smile, Akko truly did look adorable while asleep. Diana didn’t even realise she was leaning forward until her lips brushed against Akko’s forehead. Pulling back in alarm, Diana blushed at her unexpected display of affection. Akko truly did bring out the worst in her; today had been traumatic but somehow it just made her heart swell with affection for Akko. She was truly doomed.

“You could've just used magic to place her on the bed,” Sucy said suddenly. “I wonder why such a talented witch would go through the hard work of lifting someone when they could just levitate them?” she added with fake wonder.

Diana froze and couldn't stop the faint _eep_ that escaped her lips. She had completely forgotten about Manbavaran. Akko had taken all her attention with her cute - No, Diana had spent too much time admiring Akko. She needed to reign it in. She was a Cavendish, she had to be composed and above such… teenage foolishness.

“T-That is irrelevant,” Diana stammered, her voice coming out strained to her utmost chagrin. She cleared her throat to try and compose herself. “The end result is the same regardless of my method so what does it matter?”

She didn't even need to see Sucy’s face to know she'd be met with an unimpressed stare.

“A-Anyways I must be going, I have duties to attend to. Good day, Ms Manbavaran. And please do check on Akko when she wakes up.” Diana left the red team dorm with her head held high, but was all to aware that her face was the colour of said team’s sashes.

The moment Diana had exited the dorm and had shut the door behind her, she cast the strongest invisibility spell she could muster. She could only pray it would hold out until she was in the safety of her dorm. She was tempted to run, but disregarding the rules - even when no-one could see her - went against every fibre of her being. So instead she walked as fast as she could. She thanked the Nine that it was still lunch break; the corridors were relatively empty as most of her fellow students were still in the cafeteria. Very few teams ate their lunch elsewhere. She made it back to her dorm in record time and shut the door quietly. If Hannah and Barbara were here, she didn’t want to alert them to her presence. There would be far too much to explain. She tiptoed across the room, and had barely made it past her bookshelf when the spell gave out.

“Thank Beatrix,” she breathed. Diana could only imagine the preposterous rumours that would have spread like wildfire if anyone had caught her in this attire. After donning her spare uniform, Diana flopped onto her bed. A minuscule part of her was tempted to skip the rest of her classes as she was exhausted after today's events. Of course she could never actually do something so immature, she had a reputation to maintain after all. But occasionally rebellious notions entered her mind, she just had to ignore them. Instead she decided to focus on Akko. And how Akko had been attempting to give her flowers. Diana bit her lip nervously. It would seem Akko truly was attempting to pursue a relationship with her. She was almost certain of that now. She fought the urge to squeal at the warmth that was blooming in her chest. Akko returned her feelings! They could… They could… Could they really have a relationship? Diana sat up and clutched her chest where her heart was pounding rapidly. So much for staying away from Akko. A day had not even passed and here she was, more smitten than ever. Diana let a huff of frustration. The frustration was directed at herself because, by the Nine she was a disaster. She just could not keep away from Akko. She really couldn’t. Akko had become an essential part of her life after the missile crisis; she was too important to her to simply push away. But.. There was much to consider… So much could go awry if she accepted Akko’s feelings. If Akko ever confessed, that was. But if it did happen, would she be able to say yes? That was the question Diana sought the answer to.

* * *

It was a beginning of a new week, and Diana let out a small sigh of relief as the bell signaled the end of her morning Numeracy class. She would admit that even she struggled to be attentive in this class. Professor Badcock was… a bit forgetful, thus her lectures weren’t particularly coherent. Placing her books in her satchel, she glanced at Hannah who had her head leaning against her palm and was half-asleep. “Hannah,” Diana chided, poking Hannah’s cheek. “Class is over, we are leaving now.” Barbara giggled when Hannah sat up straight and blinked at them owlishly. Diana’s lip twitched as her teammate floundered and hastily shoved her books in her bag.

“Yep, I’m all readyyyy-” Hannah started, but ended up yawning. Diana rolled her eyes and made her way down the steps. She could not help but look at Akko who was sound asleep at her desk. Lotte was poking her in attempt to wake her up, but her efforts seemed to be in vain. Akko had not approached her since the flower incident, which had Diana worried. It had been three days at this stage… Was Akko too embarrassed to talk to her? She hadn’t even shown up to their regular workouts - It was so unlike her. She knew she should be relieved that Akko was staying away, so she would have time to consider her situation, but she honestly missed Akko’s company. Diana looked away before anyone took notice of her staring. She would just have to wait until Akko approached her, she supposed.

Diana’s day passed without any abnormality until the evening. She was sipping from her favourite tea cup on the couch when she heard someone knock on the door. Hannah and Barbara were off somewhere together, probably… canoodling. (How they had not been discovered yet was honestly beyond her.) So she would have to answer the door. She opened it, expecting it to be a Professor at this hour, but she blinked in surprise to find an awkward-looking Akko in front of her. The smaller girl was pouting at the ground, and for some reason her arms were behind her back. Diana cleared her throat loudly to get Akko’s attention.

Akko yelped and jumped back from the door. “D-Diana! Just the person I was looking for.”

Diana remained silent, but raised her eyebrow.

Akko flushed and looked away. “I… um - Here!” And Diana found a bouquet of flowers thrust into her hands. She was embarrassed to admit her jaw may have dropped for a moment. When she recovered, Diana opened her mouth to thank Akko but “Thank the Nine you didn’t use Metamorph Floreas again” came out in the flattest deadpan imaginable instead. Both herself and Akko were rendered speechless by her admission. A strange silence grew between them and Diana was not sure how to react. She was about to apologise profusely for her unexpected rudeness, but Akko burst into laughter

“God, your face Diana!”

Diana rolled her eyes. “Yes, hilarious, I know. What I intended to say was thank you. Thank you for the flowers and… not turning me into a flower this time.”

She smiled when Akko flushed a pleasant pink. “It was the least I could do! I am so so so sorry for turning you into a flower!” But then Akko’s head bowed and Diana was shocked to see genuine tears at the corners of Akko’s eyes.

She stepped forward and wiped the tears away with the pad of her thumbs. “Why are you crying, Akko? I accept your apology; there is no need to be upset.”

Akko sniffled and raised her head, leaning into one of Diana’s hands. “I-I dunno… I just keep messing everything up that I try to do.”

Diana shook her head vehemently. “That is not true. You have accomplished so much in the time I have known you.” She then giggled lightly. “You’re just… accident prone. It is not a bad thing really. It makes life more… exciting for those around you.”

“R-Really?”

Diana nodded. “Yes, I promise.”

Akko sighed happily, and Diana could not help but frown. She really hoped that those kind of thoughts did not plague Akko too much. Akko was truly brilliant witch, if a bit unorthodox. It had taken the Samhain Festival last year for Diana to fully realise that, but it had been clear from that point on.

“Um… well I’m gonna go now,” Akko started, and suddenly blanched. “I’m Sucy’s test subject for the next month so I’m gonna die…”

Diana winced. She really did not envy Akko’s position in this moment. “Shall I try to convince her to reduce it to two weeks?”

To her surprise, Akko shook her head. “Nah, Sucy’s a softie really. She’ll send me to the nurse’s office once, and then she’ll let me off!”

Diana had no idea how to respond to that. How exactly was that being a ‘softie’?! “I see. Well, take care Akko. And thank you again for the flowers.”

“No bother! I’m glad you liked them” Akko beamed.

After Akko had left, Diana returned to her room and placed the flowers on her desk. She stared at them, lost in thought. Diana felt as if she was being pulled in two separate directions lately. One side was her duty to the Cavendish name that she had sworn to uphold with everything she had. The other was a side that had emerged when she befriended Akko. A bolder side that wanted her to ignore tradition and do what her heart wanted. And what her heart wanted was Akko Kagari. And in the deepest depths of Diana’s mind, she was starting to realise that her heart was winning.

  



	6. Serenade her

What many people did not realise is that Diana often spent her lunch breaks helping out the Professors of Luna Nova. Some thought her snobby; that she didn’t want to eat in the cafeteria because it was beneath her. Others thought she was so ‘cool’ that she ate with the Professors in the staffroom. Neither were correct. She would never say no when someone required her assistance, and that’s how she found herself assisting Professor Badcock today.

“Professor, I have finished filing the budgets,” Diana said as she closed the filing cabinets. It had taken a good half hour to sort out Professor Badcock’s budgets; the woman was infamous for her forgetfulness which did not help her position as Luna Nova’s assistant principal.

Professor Badcock smiled. “Thank you, Diana. It will now be easier to compare my budgets.”

Diana nodded succinctly and made her way to the door. “If there is nothing else you require of me, Professor, I am going to head to the cafeteria for lunch.”

Professor Badcock waved her off. “No, no, you’re fine to go. I need to make some cuts to the cafeteria again anyways… The potatoes are far too high quality…”

The last part was said in a mutter Diana was sure she was not supposed to hear. As such, she decided to ignore it. She let out a sigh at the thought of Luna Nova’s all-potato diet. Thank the Nine she brought tea from the Cavendish estate to tide her over.

Upon reaching the cafeteria, Diana found herself automatically searching for Akko. She smiled softly when she saw Akko talking excitedly with the Red and Green teams. Akko always had so much energy, and it was so endearing. She then noticed that her teammates were not present. Diana was not certain where Hannah and Barbara were, so she supposed she was on her own for lunch. She was still trying to reduce her time spent with Akko as she had still not come to a decision regarding her feelings. The last thing she wished to do was give Akko hope, only to crush it later down the line. It would be far too cruel.

So instead of approaching their table, Diana started towards an empty table. That was until she heard Amanda laugh and say “Probably not, but what the professors don't know won't hurt them!”

She really could not ignore that. “And what is it that they do not know?” Diana asked sternly, having walked up to Akko’s table.

Amanda winced. “Well-”

“Diana!” Akko exclaimed happily, interrupting Amanda. “Want to join us for Karaoke night?”

“Karaoke?” Diana repeated in confusion. “I have heard of this before, but never have partaken in it myself.”

“ _Ehhh?!_ You've never done karaoke?! But - But every girl has to do karaoke at least once!”

“There was never much time for me to participate in the regular activities that girls apparently have to do,” Diana stated, skeptical of whether girls _have_ to do karaoke. “Activities like karaoke were deemed too juvenile for one of the Cavendish lineage.”

Akko's jaw dropped, seemingly horrified by this. “K-Karaoke isn't childish! It's the bestest thing ever!”

“‘Bestest’ isn't a word, Akko,” Lotte sighed.

Akko took absolutely no heed of Lotte's comment and continued talking. “That's it! You're coming to karaoke with me no matter what! Friday at… Uh what time is it again Amanda?”

“Seven.”

“Seven at the Green Team Dorm!”

“But-” Diana started.

“Nope! You're coming! I'll drag you down there if I have to!”

Diana was unable to find a reasonable retort. When Akko made up her mind it was _impossible_ to sway her. “Very well. Since you are so insistent, I shall attend this karaoke session. But we are  _not_ breaking curfew, is that understood?”

“Yes Ma’am!” Akko saluted her.

“What- I -” Diana let out a troubled breath. She couldn't even find the words to express how ridiculous Akko's salutes were. So she just bid the red and green team a good day before heading over to the lunch line to grab some food. She would search for Hannah and Barbara afterwards.

“And bring Hannah and Barbara!” Akko yelled her. She acknowledged Akko with a wave of her hand. She had planned on bringing them anyways; she was sure Hannah and Barbara would know more about this ‘karaoke’ than she did.

* * *

 “Oh my gosh, karaoke! Yasss I haven’t done karaoke in agesssss!” Hannah cheered, pumping her first in the air.

“Yeah, we’ll totally go,” Barbara nodded enthusiastically.

She guessed that Hannah and Barbara would know about karaoke, but she did not expect such an intense reaction. “Is it not… just singing songs? I do not understand what is so exciting.”

Diana jerked back in alarm when Hannah and Barbara latched onto her arms. “Have you never done karaoke before?!” they cried.

“Of course not.”

There was a moment of silence as her teammates struggled to respond.

Hannah was the first, and she said “That is a _genuine_ tragedy, but I suppose it makes sense. You are one of the noble Cavendish’ after all!”

Diana cleared her throat awkwardly. “Well, yes, I did not have time for such… activities when I was a child.”

Hannah and Barbara nodded understandingly.

“So, what song will you sing?” Barbara asked.

Diana blinked. “I have to sing?” Both girls nodded excitedly. “Oh. I… I had not considered that. I hope everyone would understand if I wished to simply observe the singing as it is my first time attending karaoke.”

Barbara tilted her head in a thoughtful manner. “Wouldn’t this be a good time to confess to Akko through a song though? It would be _so_ romantic like in volume 300 of Night Fall!”

Diana stiffened as a bolt of fear struck her like lightning. “I-I beg your pardon?!”

“ _Barbara!_ ” Hannah hissed. “She didn’t know that we know!”

“Oh.”

Diana attempted to smile, but she knew it was more of a grimace. This was a disaster. She was trying to avoid this situation, and now she was stuck in the middle of it! “How long have you been aware of my… feelings towards Akko?”

“Not too long, we promise!” Hannah said, clearly attempting to placate her. “We only realised it just before Akko started being all… uh… even more Akko-ish?”

Diana paled drastically. “Why, that’s nearly a month! Is it that obvious?”

Barbara shook her head. “It’s obvious that Akko likes you, but not so much that you like Akko. Sucy, Lotte and the Green Team know, but that’s only because we spend a lot of time with them.”

Diana let out a shaky sigh. “So...even that brute Amanda knows, and she hasn’t said anything to me?”

“Yeah, no-one really wanted to bother you about it. We just have fun teasing Akko instead,” Hannah smirked, and Barbara giggled.

“Somehow that does not surprise me. But ladies, I will not be confessing to Akko through karaoke or at anytime for that matter.”

Hannah blinked in surprise. “Um… why?”

Diana did not want to have this conversation. They wouldn’t understand. She had so much responsibility on her shoulders: She had a legacy to rebuild, a reputation to maintain. It was not as simple as some silly romance novel where they confess and live happily ever after. If she was to pursue a relationship with Akko, it would be under constant scrutiny from the magical community. She could not expect Akko to endure that. And the part of her that was firmly stuck in tradition and following the rules did not want to do that. It was frightening to consider defying the norm.

“Believe me, I wish for nothing more than to do so, but it is not as simple as you think.”

“This is our fault, isn’t it?” Barbara murmured. Diana’s brows furrowed in confusion. How did Barbara come to that conclusion?

“I mean… Everyone has such high expectations of you, including me and Hannah, and because of that you feel like you can’t ever do anything outside of those expectations.”

Diana opened her mouth to speak, but gasped when Barbara shouted “No! Don’t try to deny it Diana! Me and Hannah have always understood why you distance yourself, even when we were less… um.. tolerable?”

“Yeah, we were kinda awful in first year,” Hannah muttered.

“A-Anyways, you deserve to be happy, Diana!”

Diana Cavendish hadn’t cried since her mother died. Any remnants of her more innocent self had died with her mother, and as such, so had her tears. But here, in this moment, she felt tears well in her eyes. She… She _deserved_ to be happy. She had never thought about it that way. She had been content to live her life restoring her family’s legacy, but she never considered whether that would make her truly happy. Whether it would have soothed the loneliness in her heart that had never healed after her mother passed. But Akko, _Akko_ could do that. Akko had already started to do so, whether she was aware of it or not.

“Oh my god Diana!” Hannah wailed and pulled Diana into a hug. “It’s okay to be happy you know. You’re so selfless and compassionate - you need someone to take care of you more than anyone! And if that person is Akko… I suppose there could be worse options.”

Diana let out an amused huff, and backed out of the hug so she could wipe her eyes. “Hannah, Barbara,” she began, a small smile growing on her face, “Thank you, truly. I… I am very grateful for your advice. Without it, I may have made the mistake of letting Akko go. I need to think for a while, to see how I should approach this. I will see you at the Green Team door at seven though.”

Hannah and Barbara nodded. “Sure thing!” In this moment her appreciation for her teammates grew tenfold; she really appreciated their support. They had become closer friends since the Missile Crisis, and Diana cherished their company dearly.

“Maybe Akko will sing a romantic song for you!” Barbara chirped, causing Diana to flush. Except when they teased her. Which they seemed to enjoy far too much these days.

“Perhaps,” she acquiesced, and stood up. She walked into her room and sat down by her desk. She would do some homework; it would help her focus as she pondered how to confess to Akko.

* * *

Diana was pleasantly surprised by karaoke night. Everyone had got up on the “stage” - the desk - and sung their hearts out. Bar Constanze, of course. (She had programmed her Stan Bots to perform Germany’s national anthem.) Amanda had sung some ridiculous rock song that had grated on Diana’s ears, Jasminka had shocked them all with her soothing blues number, and Hannah and Barbara performed a pop duet. Diana rolled her eyes. How had no-one noticed how smitten they were with each other was beyond her. She had permanently wiped Sucy’s horrifying performance from her mind, and instead focused on Lotte’s fantastic opera rendition that had just finished. She was very impressed with the powerful vocals that came from Lotte’s small frame. She clapped politely, not wanting to cheer and wave like Akko and Amanda. Only Akko had yet to perform, but unfortunately -

“We have passed curfew,” Diana informed the group while standing up. “I believe it is time for us to return to our dorms.”

Akko looked horrified. “Awww but I'm the only one who hasn't had a go yet!”

“I had warned you that I would not allow this to continue past curfew.”

“But-But-” Akko struggled for an excuse. Then her eyes lit up with mischief. Oh, that was never a good look. Diana tried to back away, but the back of her legs hit the bed behind her and she nearly toppled over. While she regained her balance, Diana asked Beatrix for mercy. Akko slowly walked up to Diana with her arms outstretched. Diana flinched when Akko pulled her into a hug.

“A-Akko what do you think you're doing?” she stammered.

Akko looked up at her with her best puppy dog eyes. “Please can I sing for you, Diana?” she asked softly.

“F-For me?” Diana was aware her face was crimson at this point. Blast those puppy dog eyes! Akko had quickly realised Diana was incapable of saying no when Akko used them, so unfortunately Akko loved to use them to persuade Diana to change her mind. Diana sighed. She was doomed.

“Yup! I want you to hear my favourite song,” Akko said, squeezing Diana lightly.

Diana’s breath hitched. She looked to the side and frowned. “V-Very well. But only one song!”

“Yosh!” Akko exclaimed and squeezed her again.

“Akko. R-Release me,” Diana breathed out as calm as she could. When Akko let go, Diana sat down on the bed robotically, ignoring Amanda's jibe of “ _Whipped_.”

Akko bounded up to the karaoke machine and beamed brightly at her friends. “I'm gonna sing Cool for the Summer!” She exclaimed as she took Amanda's wand.

Amanda blinked. “Please tell me she's joking.”

Diana glanced at Amanda curiously. Was there something strange about this song? 

Akko was clearly not joking when she started the music and looked at Diana directly.  

_“Tell me what you want, what you like, it's okay~ I'mma little curious... too.”_

Diana’s eyes widened in surprise. Akko had a really pleasant voice. And now she was aware of what Amanda had meant. This song… It was really inappropriate.

_“Tell me if it's wrong, if it's right I don't care~ I can keep a secret, could you~?”_

“Holy shit does she even realise what she's singing?!” Amanda whisper-screamed.

_“Got my mind on your body and your body on my mind. Got a taste for the cherry I just need to take a bite~”_

What did that - _Oh_ . By the Nine! Diana felt her face burn furiously as she finally understood the innuendo. And then to make matters worse, Akko winked and she almost fainted on the spot. Akko _definitely_ knew what she was singing and nothing could convince Diana otherwise.

(No-one besides Diana noticed Hannah wink saucily at Barbara.)

 _"Don't tell your mother. Kiss one another. Die for each other. We're cool for the summer! Take me down into your paradise, don't be scared 'cause I'm your body type~,_ _  
_ _just something that we wanna try, 'cause you and I, we're cool for the summer-”_

Diana clenched her thighs together subconsciously. She honestly did not know how to cope with this. She had often thought of Akko as cute and beautiful but now the word _sexy_ crossed her mind and she blushed even harder at the thought. She was not accustomed to feelings this way and - and -

There was a resounding bang, and Diana jumped to her feet in alarm, wand at the ready. She paled as an irate Professor Finnelan stomped in through the now pen door of the Green Team's dorm, glaring at the occupants of the room. “What is this racket?” Professor Finnelan demanded, looking around the room. Akko dropped Amanda's wand and whistled in a manner that Diana was sure that Akko thought was inconspicuous. The rest of the girls avoided eye contact with the furious professor. Diana sighed internally. It seemed it would be up to her to defuse the situation.

“We were participating in a karaoke night, Professor Finnelan. I apologise profusely for the excessive noise. Considering the time, we were just about to finish up and head to our dorms. It was not my intention to allows this to breach curfew but… unforeseen circumstances occurred. I will accept whatever repercussions you deem necessary for this failure on my part.”

Professor Finnelan’s eyes widened when she noticed her but then she scowled. “I am not surprised to discover Ms Kagari and her gang to be breaking the rules, but you, Ms Cavendish?! You _all_ will receive a detention for causing such a racket after curfew.”

“But it's only two minutes past curfew…” Akko muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing! I said nothing, sensei.”

“Hmph. I thought as much.” She looked around the room expectantly and then barked “Well what are you waiting for? Return to your dorms.”

 _“Now!_ ” she added with a yell, snapping the girls to attention.

“Of course, professor,” Diana said. “I will see to it that everyone returns to their dorms immediately.”

Finnelan peered down her nose at Diana. “See to it, Ms Cavendish.” She pivoted on her heel and marched out of the dorm.

“Damn, what a bitch,” Amanda sneered.

“She's so scary!” Akko wailed. “And that's my second detention from her this week!”

“It is unwise to speak ill of our professors, Amanda,” Diana warned as she headed towards the door. “There may be times when you are at odds with the faculty, but expressing your frustration with such vulgar language is unnecessary.”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “Says you because _you_ nearly faint at the idea of someone taking a bite of your cherry.” She motioned her hand towards the door. “Out you go, losers. Can’t have ol’ Finny coming back and giving me another detention.”

Diana inhaled sharply. “I-” she began, ready to give Amanda a piece of her mind. She froze suddenly. Amanda relished in confrontation, and it would surely delight Amanda if she took the bait. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  “As you can see, that is what I'm in the process of doing.” She looked over her shoulder at the red and blue team. “Come with me. We best not dawdle any longer.”

They nodded in response. Diana headed towards the red team dorm; Professor Finnelan would expect her to escort everyone home. That, and she wanted to see what Akko would say. She was still… shocked by Akko’s performance to say the least.

“Did you like the song, Diana?” Akko chirped.

Diana stiffened for a brief second, but continued walking. She could feel a blush warming up her cheeks again. She liked the song because Akko was singing it, maybe. But otherwise… it was uncouth and vulgar and - “I um…”

“Diana enjoyed the song _very_ much, Akko,” Sucy cackled. Diana really did not appreciate the inflections in Sucy’s voice.

Diana narrowed her eyes. “And what do you mean by that, Sucy?”

Sucy raised a single eyebrow. Her deadpan expression said ‘ _do-you-really-want-me-to-say-it_ ’. _No_ , Diana decided, she definitely did not want Sucy to elaborate.

“Ah I’m glad you liked it, Diana! It’s my bi-anthem!” Akko beamed.

Diana nearly choked on the air. “Your _what_?” She heard someone snort and another person giggle, but she decided to ignore them.

“My bi-anthem!” Akko repeated. “Demi Lovato is bi you know?”

“Akko, I have no idea who that is.”

Akko’s gasp was so severe you would swear Diana slandered Shiny Chariot’s name. “Oh my god I’ll have to get more of her music for you! Oh! And Hayley Kiyoko! She’s Lesbian Jesus.”

Diana just nodded to placate Akko. She was genuinely perplexed now. Jesus was a man so how…? Thankfully they reached the red team dorm before Akko could cause any further confusion.

“G’night Diana!” Akko exclaimed, and pulled her into a hug.

Diana returned it with a smile. “Akko, do not shout unless you want Professor Finnelan to have reason to give us another detention.”

Letting go of Akko, who was rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly, she looked at Sucy and Lotte. “Goodnight girls. I will speak to Professor Finnelan about the detention tomorrow and I will let you know what the situation is.”

Sucy nodded her head in acknowledgement, and Lotte whispered a quiet thank you and goodbye. Hannah and Barbara also said goodbye and then they were on their way again.

The moment Hannah and Barbara set foot in the dorm they exploded with laughter.

“Hannah, I can’t believe I thought Akko would sing a nice romantic song!” Barbara gasped between her laughter.

“I know, I know! I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t that!” Hannah wheezed. “To be fair though, that song has some amazing riffs.”

“True, true,” Barbara nodded.

It was as if Diana wasn’t even present. She cleared her throat loudly, and her teammates looked at her with tears in their eyes. They looked like they were in pain from laughing so hard.

“Oh Diana I am so sorry but that was the funniest thing I have witnessed in my entire life,” Hannah said, clutching her stomach. Barbara nodded, seemingly unable to speak.

“I… I have no idea how to process this. I believed she was simply trying to win my affections but now…” Diana stared at the ground blankly.

“It’s like she’s trying to seduce you!” Barbara giggled. She had recovered enough to speak, it appeared.

Diana’s jaw dropped. “That cannot be it!” Then an image of Akko winking flashed in her mind unbidden. She shook her head. This was honestly too much to process in one day.

“I-I am going to head to bed. It has been a long day.”

Hannah and Barbara looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Diana rolled her eyes and walked into her room. After getting changed she climbed into her bed and stared at the ceiling. She had absolutely no words for today. Akko was just so...  _Akko_ ; her antics were something Diana was sure she'd never be able to predict. And she found it endlessly endearing. Diana closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. Her heart was beating so fast and she felt so _warm_ thinking about Akko. She almost giggled at how nice it felt to indulge in her feelings like most people her age; just letting the feelings flow through her without trying to suppress them was so freeing and she planned to keep it this way from this day forth. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why in the name of god is there a teacher called Badcock ahahahaha


	7. Dominate her...?

Akko had no idea how this was going to work. The guide had listed _domination_ as the next step.

“Why is this the next step?!” the brunette huffed with a red face, glaring at her laptop. This step was so embarrassing. She had to.. pin Diana to the wall like… how Andrew had done to her at the ball?! Would that even work?! Not to mention that the guide said she had to have done all the last steps perfectly for this to work. She paled at the thought. She _definitely_ did not do everything perfectly. She nearly blew up Diana and the entire alchemy corridor… but Diana had checked up on her later because she was worried! Or at least she seemed worried. Or was she angry?! Diana was confusing sometimes… She knocked Diana down a flight of stairs… but she got to hug Diana in the end! And they had been working out together ever since. Which, _wow_ , was the best thing ever because Diana wore shorts to training and -

“Agh I need to stop being such perv,” Akko groaned and slapped her cheeks repeatedly. Anyways, time to get back on track: Diana hadn’t understood her Bob’s Burgers reference but it worked out in the end! Thanks to Chariot-sensei’s advice she was able to tell Diana that she was beautiful, and Diana said it back! Oh that really was her favourite memory of late, it sent her heart fluttering every time she thought about it. Then there was the flower incident… Akko had tried to erase it from her memory, but it was impossible to forget the sight of a n-naked Diana… Crap, she’d get a nosebleed again at this rate if she kept thinking about Diana’s body. (How was it possible for anyone to be that gorgeous anyways?! It was so unfair.) Diana had accepted her apology and liked the flowers she got (Akko had snuck into town on the potato truck again to go to the local flower shop) so she supposed that was a success in the long run? Last night she serenaded Diana. Or at least tried to before Finnelan-sensei barged in.

Akko narrowed her eyes and grumbled, “Agh I have three detentions next week because of Finnelan-sensei!” Stupid Finnelan-sensei. At least she wouldn’t be on her own for the last one, all her friends would be there. Although she had a feeling Finnelan-sensei would give them some really nasty work. She flopped back onto her pillow and sighed. She really could’ve serenaded Diana if she hadn’t been interrupted. Diana had been so red as Akko sang, she had definitely understood the lyrics of _Cool for the Summer_ . Akko felt her cheeks heat up. The song was um, really forward, but she had to sing it! She wasn’t lying when she said it was her bi-anthem! She supposed she could’ve sang _Girls Like Girls_ or something, but her voice wasn’t really suited to that. She thought the night was a success though considering how flustered Diana had been! Akko was starting to think that Diana had feelings for her too… What else could it be? Diana definitely would've said something by now if she thought Akko was being annoying! She took a deep breath. Her plan was working and hopefully...hopefully by the end of it she’d have an amazing girlfriend.

“Yosh! I’ve been doing so well!” Akko jumped to her feet with glee but smashed her head off the bottom of Lotte’s bunk. She groaned and sat back down, rubbing the top of her head. After giving herself a moment to recover, Akko went back on her laptop. “I’ve come so far so I can’t stop now! There’s only two steps left after all!” But she needed some inspiration for this step… She had never done anything like this before and she didn’t want to mess it up. The obvious solution: Lotte’s weird books!

“It’s time to commence Operation-learn-how-to-dominate-Diana,” Ninja Akko whispered as she rolled out of her bed with utmost grace.  With her identity concealed craftily by the jumper wrapped around her head, _nothing_ could stop her ninja skills. Scanning the room with narrowed ruby eyes, Akko confirmed she was the only person in the dorm. She then scaled Lotte’s ladder swiftly and jumped onto the bed.

“Aghhh there’s so many books here! Which one will help me…” Akko muttered under her breath. She searched through the pile of books at the foot of  Lotte’s bed. Her instincts told her to go for the most worn-looking book. “It must be good since Lotte reads it a lot,” she reasoned. She picked up the navy tome. “Nightfall Volume 69,” the brunette read aloud. Akko grinned. “I’m sure there’s something in here!”

* * *

“Thanks for the help with the spirit, Sucy,” Lotte smiled as she walked beside said witch. “I hope they can unfreeze Amanda soon… She should’ve known not to anger a trapped frost spirit.”

“You’re my lab rat for a month now," Sucy cackled.

Lotte shuddered. She should have expected Sucy would want compensation. “D-Do I have to?” she stammered.

A single red eye appraised her. “A week.”

Lotte let out a sigh of relief. That was the best offer she was going to get, and she’d definitely take it. “Thank you!”

A moment later they reached their dorm. Sucy entered the room first. Lotte followed but came to a sudden stop as she bumped into the Filipino witch. “What’s wrong, Sucy?” Lotte asked.

“Kehkehkeh, it seems like Akko read some of Nightfall 69.”

The Fin paled drastically. Oh no that would _ruin_ Akko’s innocent mind. She ran past Sucy to find Akko sitting on the ground (with a jumper wrapped around her head…?)  The book was beside her, with the cover facing up. Lotte gulped. “A-Akko?”

Blank ruby eyes met her blue ones. “Lotte…” Akko droned lifelessly.

“I-I think it broke her.”

“What made you think that?” came Sucy’s dry reply.

“W-We have to do something!” Lotte cried, looking at Sucy.

Sucy shrugged and walked over to her desk. Lotte examined Akko worriedly. The girl was almost comatose, she had probably had never bothered reading anything like Night Fall before.

“Here.”

Lotte looked up. Sucy held a vial of a sickly green substance. “What’s that?”

“A memory eraser. Akko should forget what happened in the past hour.”Lotte’s eyes widened. “Sucy! You know those potions are forbidden.”

Another shrug. “It doesn’t matter to me if you use it or not. It’d be better if you didn’t. I can say ‘sixty-nine’ anytime I want now and Akko will probably scream.”

As if to prove her right Akko let out a shriek. Sucy grinned smugly, bearing her sharp teeth.

Lotte swallowed nervously. She guessed she had no choice, she had to bring the old Akko back. She pulled out the cork in the vial, and moved closer to Akko. “Drink this,” she said softly to the Japanese witch, putting the vial against Akko’s lips. Akko complied wordlessly and drank until it was all gone.

“What will happen n-”

Akko then hit the ground face-first with a bang.

“Akko!” Lotte cried, moving the girl until her head was in her lap.

She heard a cackle behind her. “She’ll wake up in a few minutes.”

And so Lotte waited.

“Mmnnn.”

Lotte looked down. Akko’s eyes were fluttering. “A-Akko! Are you okay?!”

After some more groaning, Akko yawned and sat up. “Eh? Why wouldn’t I be okay?” she asked sleepily.

Lotte froze. “I-I… Well, Y-You-”

“You tripped over yourself and hit your head off the nightstand. What a klutz, kehkehkeh.”

“Sucy~ You’re so mean, I’m not a klutz!”

“Oh~? What about the time you dropped some orange Chu jelly, slipped on it, and set yourself on fire?”

“I thought we said we wouldn’t talk about that!” Akko puffed up her cheeks in irritation.

 _"Y_ _ou_ said that, not me.” Sucy smirked.

“A-Akko what have you been doing today?” Lotte interjected, trying to prevent that conversation going any further.

Akko blinked owlishly. “I was… I was…” she trailed off with a confused expression, looking down at the floor. Then she snapped her eyes back up to meet Lotte’s. “I was looking at the next step to seduce Diana!” Ruby eyes then looked down bashfully. “I uh... Ihavetodominatediana” Akko said rapidly, leaving Lotte absolutely bewildered.

“I didn’t catch any of that, s-sorry Akko.”

Akko hid her face in her hands “Agh this is so embarrassing~” she whined, her voice muffled. “T-The guide said I have to dominate Diana,” Akko muttered, lowering her hands.

Lotte blushed at the blunt words. “O-Oh.”

“And I don’t know what to do!” Akko wailed.

Suddenly, everything fell into place for Lotte. Akko had read the book looking for inspiration on how to… how to.. Even thinking about this was embarrassing! Lotte willed her cheeks to cool down. She had to help Akko and keep her away from Volume 69. Akko clearly couldn’t handle it’s comments. “I-I could help you with that, Akko,” Lotte said meekly.

Akko’s eyes lit up like fireworks. “Really? You can help me? Ah~ Thank you so much Lotte!” And then Lotte was tackled into a hug.

“C-Can’t breathe,” Lotte managed to get out after a moment of Akko’s bear-like hug.

“Oh! Sorry!” came the sheepish reply, and then Lotte was able to breathe again. She got to her feet and walked over to her book collection. She already had a passage in mind for Akko.

“T-This might help,” she said, handing Akko volume 40 of Night Fall. It was earlier in the series before the… romance scenes got more intense. “Go to page 349.” Lotte watched nervously as Akko read the passage, noticing Akko's cheeks grow more flushed by the second. 

A minute later the book was snapped shut and thrust into Lotte’s hands. “Th-thanks Lotte,” Akko stammered, her voice a higher pitch than normal. “Th-This will work.” Akko then slapped her cheeks repeatedly. “I’m gonna do this! I can do this right guys?”

“Sure.” Sucy intoned from the other side of the room, her voice anything but convincing. Lotte winced when she was met with Akko’s sad eyes. She looked like a kicked puppy.

“I believe in you, Akko!” she said with a smile.

“Yosh! Thanks Lotte!” Akko beamed. “No thanks to you though Sucy,” Akko said petulantly and stuck out her tongue. Sucy gave Akko a brief unimpressed look and resumed doing… whatever creepy experiment she was currently doing. Lotte hoped that it was not the one she had to test because the liquid was illuminous yellow. She gulped nervously. She’d probably end up in the nurse’s office if it was.

“I’m gonna go find Diana! Where would she be…”  
  
"Ah, she's probably in the library, Akko," said Lotte, grateful for Akko pulling her out of thoughts.   
  
“Aha!” Akko slapped her fist into her palm excitedly. “The library!”   
  
"...I um, I just said that."

But Akko didn’t listen and just sprinted out of the room.

“Phew!” Lotte sighed after the door closed, wiping her forehead. “I’m glad that’s over.”

“That is what happens when you keep smut novels within the reach of children.”

“ _S_ _ucy!”_

* * *

Akko bounded into the library like a woman on a mission. She supposed she actually was on a mission; a grand quest to seduce Diana Cavendish! She ended up slowing her pace when she received a fierce glare from the librarian. Akko headed straight for the area known as Diana's alcove. Diana spent so much time there that everyone knew it was Diana's space. (There was even bets as to whether or not Diana's butt had left an imprint on the chair there. Amanda started the bet as a joke, but now half of the school was in on it.)

When she arrived, Akko's luck seemed to have taken a turn for the better; Diana was facing a bookcase, unaware of Akko's presence. Akko stepped closer to Diana and spun the British witch around so she was facing her. Ignoring Diana's (cute) squeak of surprise, Akko pushed Diana into the bookcase and put her hands at either side of the blonde’s head.

 _Oh..._ She didn't really take into account that Diana was taller than her.

How was she supposed to dominate someone who was so much taller that she needed to be on her tippy-toes to be at eye level?!

Akko looked up at Diana whose blue eyes were impossibly wide with shock. “A-Akko, what do you think you are doing?” Diana demanded, growing more and more flustered.

“I'm… trying to dominate you?” Akko said hesitantly; there was no point in lying. “Is it working?” she added with a sheepish laugh.

Diana blinked, and then flushed a faint pink. “ _Akko_ …” she said slowly, as if contemplating something. And in a flash Akko found their positions reversed, her wrists pinned to the bookshelves by Diana's hands. Before Akko could say a word, Diana leaned in close, her breath hot against the shell of Akko's ear. Akko’s eyes fluttered shut at the intense feeling. “I believe _this_ is how you correctly dominate someone,” Diana whispered.

An involuntary shiver ran down Akko's spine. “H-Hai,” she choked out weakly in reply. Akko was hyper aware of Diana’s presence. Maybe it was because she still had her eyes closed but everything felt so intense. Diana was so close that Akko could feel the warmth of her body, the softness of her hair that brushed up against Akko’s cheek. Akko inhaled sharply as she felt Diana move her head away from her ear. A soft hand cupped her cheek out of the blue, and she opened her eyes at the unexpected sensation. She was met with Diana's piercing azure stare, her expression unreadable. Akko gulped. Was it just her, or was Diana's face getting closer?

“Akko… I… ” Diana whispered, struggling with her words. “There… There’s something I have wanted to tell you for a while…”

Akko exhaled shakily. Was this really what she thought it was?! Was Diana going to confess to her first?! She looked so nervous; it was so cute and was a side of Diana that Akko didn’t get to see all that often. Akko smiled softly to hopefully put Diana at ease. It seemed to work, and the small smile sent her way made Akko’s heart skip a beat.

“Akko I-” Diana started.

“Diana I-” Akko murmured.

They both paused. Akko giggled at Diana’s flustered expression, and laughed even more when Diana huffed and rolled her eyes.

“A-Akko, as I was saying -”

“Diana?” nearby voices called, shattering the moment. Akko watched as a look of panic flashed across Diana's face. “Hannah. Barbara,” Diana gasped. Akko froze and her heart started to pound so hard she was sure Diana could hear it. Diana immediately released her wrists and took a step back. Akko’s gaze flitted around the room, landing on anything but Diana. She was too embarrassed to look at Diana right now.

“I must return to my dorm room to study for next month's test. F-Farewell.” Akko’s gaze flickered back to Diana who waved her wand around herself and turned INVISIBLE. Akko’s jaw dropped and she slid to the ground in shock. That was highly advanced magic and Diana did it silently! But that wasn’t really what was on Akko’s mind. Nope what was on her mind was that DIANA WAS ABOUT TO CONFESS!!! Putting her head in her hands she whisper-screamed “DID THAT JUST HAPPEN OH MY GOD AGHHHH!”

“Akko? What are you doing here? Have you seen Diana?”

Akko looked up. Hannah and Barbara were looking at her confusedly. Damn them, they had ruined her moment with Diana! The brunette got to her feet and tried not to be too suspicious. “D-Diana? Nope! Nope, not at all! I haven’t seen Diana around here; wh-why would Diana be here?”

Excellent. They had no reason to suspect anything.

To her dismay Hannah narrowed her eyes, and the scrutiny made Akko nervous. She could feel beads of sweat forming on her forehead. “Because this is Diana’s alcove..?” Barbara said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Akko’s eyes widened. Wow she really had dug a hole for herself. “O-Ohh ya, I forgot! I just came here to study and all that. Y’know all the big tests next… week and… stuff, haha.”

Hannah’s eyes narrowed even further. Oh she looked scary. Not as scary as an angry Diana but scary enough to make Akko wish she was anywhere but here!  “We don’t have any tests week.”

" _Ehhhh?!_ Are you sure? I-I was sure we had a test in…” Akko finished with an incomprehensible mumble, hoping Hannah would just drop it.

An awkward silence ensued; Akko was sweating bullets at this stage. “A-Ah well I’m gonna go!” She faked a loud yawn. “So tired after studying real hard, y’know?” She walked past the duo as casually as she could. “B-Bye guys! I hope you find Diana!”

“Bye…?” Barbara replied unsurely.

“Bye…” Hannah murmured, her eyes still examining Akko with suspicion.

Akko practically sprinted out of the library as soon as she was sure Hannah and Barbara couldn’t see her. She knew her face was sooooo red but she didn’t care! She’d escaped! (Although she was sure the librarian was going to report her for running in the library ugh)

When she reached her dorm she opened the door so hard it crashed into the wall with a bang. Akko winced at the noise and apologised to Lotte who had been so startled she dropped her book. Sucy merely glanced over her shoulder at the ruckus, and wordlessly turned back to her experiment. Akko really hoped that she didn’t have to test whatever Sucy was creating, because from Akko’s position it looked _awful_. Then again, all of Sucy’s potions usually looked awful.

Her self-preservation instincts kicked in, and Akko stopped herself from asking what monstrosity Sucy was working on. That was just asking for Sucy to make her test it. Instead, she flopped onto her bed and let out a muffled groan into her bedsheets. (She still had to get her other bedsheets back from Diana after the flower incident, but she had been too embarrassed to ask yet.)

“So… what happened?” Lotte asked, leaning over the edge of her bunk and peering in at Akko.

Akko rolled onto her side to face her friend and pouted. “Aghhh Lotte she was gonna confess - I think - but then those idiots Hannah and Barbara interrupted and then Diana freaked out and turned INVISIBLE and then I had to try and get away from Hannah and Barbara ughhhhh.”

“Diana turned herself invisible?!” Lotte gasped. Akko nodded. “Wow, Diana really is an impressive witch, isn’t she…” Lotte murmured.

“I knowww! And that’s why this is so hard for me because I’m just Akko and she’s like, the best witch in Luna Nova since Shiny Chariot! Sometimes… Sometimes I wonder why I’m even doing this...”

“Kehkehkeh, you are a total dunce, Akko,” Sucy snickered.

“Hey!”

“But you are the one who was chosen by the Claiomh Solais. That makes you pretty special.”

Akko’s jaw dropped and tears of joy filled her eyes. “That’s… That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me Sucy.”

“Don’t get used to it. You have to test this potion for me when I’m done,” Sucy cackled, and held up the violently yellow potion for Akko to see with a victorious smirk.

“Awww I should’ve known you would do that…” Akko groaned and paled at the thought of drinking that monstrosity. That was definitely going to end up with her in the nurse’s office. “But thanks, Sucy. I just get kinda scared that I’m not good enough for her sometimes but… You’re right! I revived the seven words of Arcturus; I don’t need to be afraid of anything! I wanna bring smiles to everyone’s faces, just like Shiny Chariot! And Diana’s smile is the most important of all!”

There was only one step now, and boy was Akko determined to seduce Diana Cavendish!


	8. Detention

Amanda O’Neill was starting to get impatient. Her gaydar had been pinging nonstop when Diana and Akko were within 10 feet of each other for months now, but nothing had happened yet! And that was even before Akko announced her crazy-ass plan to ‘seduce’ Diana. She actually kinda wondered if Akko had any idea what that meant. Probably not to be honest. But yeah, she wanted Diana and Akko to get together sooner rather than later because it was driving her insane!

“Agh, I expected something to have happened by now,” Amanda complained to her friends. “They're literally _so gay -_ how have they not hooked up?!”

Sucy looked up from her brewing kit. “Because Akko is dense and Diana is emotionally constipated.”

“That's… kind of true,” Lotte said slowly, pondering Sucy’s words. “And they have been avoiding each other recently.” Lotte glanced at her teammate nervously. “Sucy, why and _what_ are you brewing during lunch?” Amanda wanted that question answered too. She somehow hadn’t even noticed that Sucy had brought her cauldron into the cafeteria.

An evil grin stretched across Sucy's face. “This,” she raised a bottle of clear liquid, “is how I embarrass Ak- I mean help my best friend Akko.”

 _Oh._ A potion to embarrass Akko? That was interesting. Amanda needed that potion stat.

“Oh no… What kind of potion is it?” Lotte asked.

“Kehkehkeh. It's a truth potion.”

Lotte sighed and massaged her temples. Amanda then seized the moment tried to snatch the potion out of Sucy's hands but found her hands suddenly transformed in mushrooms. “What did you do?!” Amanda shrieked. Sucy ignored her, returning her wand to her sash and resuming her work on the potion.

“Oi! Turn my hands back!”

A hooded red eye stared at her boredly. “Hmm. Fine.” Sucy drew her wand and flicked it towards Amanda’s hands. “But if you touch my potions again I'll turn you into a mushroom for a week,” she added nonchalantly.

The American witch nodded weakly. “Sometimes I forget how creepy you are,” she muttered. Yikes, that really didn’t work. A truth potion though... Why did Sucy want to use that on Akko?

Amanda then noticed Hannah and Barbara enter the cafeteria. “Hey! Tweedle Dum, Tweedle Dee, c’mere!”

She muffled a snort when Hannah glared at her. “Ugh, what is it Amanda?”

Amanda placed her hand over her heart and gasped with feigned offence. “Hannah, don’t be like that, I thought we were friends?”

“Emphasis on ‘were’,” Hannah muttered, but her lips twitched and Barbara struggled not to laugh.

There was a pregnant pause at the lunch table.

Amanda exploded with laughter at the same time as Hannah. “I know you love me really~” She cooed and batted her eyelashes.

“Tsh. Because you have all the gay drama at Luna Nova,” Hannah huffed.

“Ugh I wish my gaydar was as good as yours, Amanda,” Barbara groaned.

Amanda grinned and put her hands behind her head. “Sorry now, but I just have such big dyke energy that my gaydar reflects that perfection.” She chuckled when Lotte choked on her food. Lotte still hadn’t got used to her gay chats with Barbara and Hannah. Oh well. Amanda knew she radiated gay energy; most people picked up on it pretty quickly - Heck, even Akko did and that girl was so oblivious half of the time - so she didn’t really try to hide it. She didn’t want to! It was 20GayTeen anyways so she had made her mission to get as many gays together as possible. Akko and Diana were at the top of her list, obviously. Professor Chariot and Professor Croix were second. (Surely everyone else picked up on their angsty gay vibes right?!) Hannah and Barbara were already together, and somehow only she had noticed?! But yeah, she really did know all the gay drama in Luna Nova. Except… She frowned thoughtfully. “Although I have to say it was difficult to read Cavendish. I couldn't tell if she was seriously repressing it or had a giant stick up her ass. Or both.”

She rolled her eyes when Hannah and Barbara started to glare at her.  How typical. “Don’t say stuff like that about Diana, Amanda. She’s got a lot on her plate.”

Amanda snorted. “Yeah, yeah I get it, She’s a stickler for the rules.” She leaned back on her chair looked up at the ceiling with a frown. “We all know that Cavendish will never make the first move, and Akko’s a total disaster. We need to get those idiots to confess somehow. Any ideas?”

Silence was the only reply.

Amanda looked down after seeing a flash of movement in her peripheral vision.

“Food for thought?” Jasminka suggested cheerily, holding out a bag of crisps.

“Thanks Jaz,” she replied and took one. The bag was passed around the table. Everyone except Constanze and Sucy took one. (Sucy was still brewing and Constanze was tinkering with… something.)

Amanda looked at Sucy who was brewing. Sucy was brewing a truth potion… That’s it!

“I’ve got it!” Amanda grinned, pointing at Sucy when everyone looked at her. “We can just slip Akko the truth potion and she’ll end up confessing to Di- Cavendish.”

Hannah nodded thoughtfully. “That could work, but…”

“It’s - It seems wrong…” Lotte murmured.

Amanda blinked, “Eh? Ah c’mon it’ll be fine! Akko will thank us when she lands Cavendish!”

“Kehkehkeh. Looks like you were thinking the same thing as me,” Sucy grinned.

“Oh that’s why you were brewing it?”

Sucy smirked, bearing her sharp teeth. “Of course. I need Akko to confess so I can work on my potions without her talking about Diana every ten seconds. It’s annoying.” She then shrugged. “That, or I just use it to embarrass Akko in general. Kehkehkeh, I’d like to see what she’d say to Professor Finnelan.”

“Kudos to you, Sucy,” Amanda said with a grin. “So. We have a plan. We just need a time and place…”

“Uh well... In Nightfall Volume 50 Belle and Edgar confessed after being trapped in a dungeon together,” Barbara said quietly after a while.

“They... confessed... in a dungeon.” Amanda said slowly. She wasn’t even sure why this mattered. Were they supposed to lock Diana and Akko in a dungeon?!

“They were sentenced to die! They confessed since they believed they never would have the chance to ever again!” Lotte squeaked defensively.

Everyone gaped at the unexpected outburst from the usually meek Lotte. Amanda chortled. “Sorry Lotte, I didn’t mean to insult your smutty books.”

Lotte and Barbara gasped indignantly. “It’s not smutty!”

Six pairs of eyes looked at them skeptically. “It’s not _that_ smutty,” Lotte amended with a blush.

Sucy cackled. “Volume 69.”

“ _Sucy!_ ”

“It’s not a bad idea though,” Hannah interjected before the conversation got derailed even further.

Amanda nodded thoughtfully. “We need a time though…”

And in the way only true trouble-makers can do, Amanda and Such exchanged a mischievous look and spoke at the same time.

“ _Detention_.”

Lotte gasped, horrified, and it caused Amanda’s smirk to widen further. This plan was perfect!

As punishment for causing ‘such a racket two minutes past curfew’ the red, blue and green teams had been punished harshly. Finnelan, with a hand on one hip and the barest hint of a pleased smirk on her face, informed them that they had to sweep all the dungeons…

… without magic.

Ugh. Amanda really hated ol’ Finny.

“Should I go get the cleaning equipment?” Lotte asked meekly, as the nine girls headed towards the dungeon.

“Nah, Akko and Diana can do it,” Amanda said nonchalantly, stretching her arms above her head. Sucy had mixed the potion in with Akko’s potato soup during lunch when Akko had been busy complaining about their one hundred percent potato diet, so now it was time for stage two of the plan.

“ _Ehhh?!_ Why us?!” came Akko’s expected outcry.

“‘Cause it’s your fault we have this stinkin’ detention in the first place.”

“It’s not -”

“Akko, it is pointless to argue. Intentionally or not, we are to blame for this detention,” interjected Diana, always the reasonable one. Heh. They were falling right into her trap.

Akko huffed and tapped her foot. “ _Fine._ ” She grabbed Diana’s wrist. “Let’s go, Diana.” and stomped down the corridor with the young heiress in tow.

“A-Akko!”

Amanda smirked as she watched the duo disappear around the corner. “That worked out exactly like I expected it to.” Waving her hand casually at the rest of her friends while strolling after Akko and Diana, she declared “Today is the day I get them to idiots to confess!”

Sucy cackled. “Amanda slipped the potion in Akko's lunch today… I'm curious as to what that idiot will say.”

Lotte gulped, wiping away the sweat that had accumulated at her brow. “S-Sure.”

Amanda tip-toed down the stairs to the supply room. She couldn’t let Akko or Diana hear her approaching. Amanda paused at the entrance, sticking close to the wall. She peeped in. They hadn’t gone in yet. She’d just have to wait.

“Stupid Amanda. Stupid Finnelan. Stupid detention,” Akko muttered as she lifted the latch to open the supplies closet door.

“Enough of the profanities, Akko,” Diana sighed, stepping into the small space. Akko was just at the entrance so if she just...

Amanda sprinted forward and shoved Akko who went flying into the closet with a crash. Amanda winced. That sounded painful. She quickly pulled the door shut and closed the latch before Akko or Diana could react.

“Akko!” she heard Diana cry in alarm. “Are you alright!?”

Amanda couldn’t really hear Akko’s reply, but she was sure Akko was groaning. She actually felt pretty bad for shoving Akko like that...

“O’Neil!” Diana growled all of a sudden, startling Amanda. “Open the door this instant!”

Amanda laughed after getting over her fright. “Nah, I'll pass. I'll be back later to check up on you, ‘kay?”

“Don't you dare leave us here!” Diana yelled.

She didn’t reply and walked out of the supply room. She was almost tempted to wait and see what Akko would say, but she wasn’t that mean.

* * *

Akko was still on the ground clutching her head when Diana huffed angrily.

“Woah… I never thought I'd see you get so angry, Diana,” Akko murmured in awe a moment later.

“I-I am merely concerned for you, Akko. That insufferable O’Neill is not considering your well being at all! It is infuriating!”

It was strange not being able to see Diana’s expression, but Akko was sure Diana was blushing. Heh. She was so cute.

“I am afraid we are trapped in here for the meantime. Professor Finnelan is in possession of our wands, so I cannot unlock the door.”

Akko _hmm_ ed in acknowledgement and got to her feet unsteadily. She needed to get the door open somehow…

“Akko, should you really be-”

“I'm okay! Don't worry~” Akko beamed in the general direction of Diana. “I'm gonna get us out of here!”

“How do you plan-”

And then the Akko charged straight at the door.

 

 _Thunk_.

 

The low sound of flesh hitting wood echoed around the room. Akko groaned and slowly slid to the floor. Okay, that wasn’t her best idea ever, but she thought if she hit the door hard enough the latch would pop off. Now her headache was ten times worse, and she was pretty sure she was gonna have a nosebleed in the next minute.

“Akko, that was possible the most foolish thing I have ever seen you do!” she heard Diana exclaim.

“But... you can't see?” Akko muttered, in a daze. “Oh crap I have a nosebleed!”

There was a pregnant pause in the supplies cabinet. And then a sound that similar to that of a... slap? Did Diana just… _face-palm?!_

“Akko… “ Diana began exasperatedly. “Actually just… nevermind. Please come over here so I can give you something for your nose.”

Akko hummed in agreement and carefully made her way across the room, hands outstretched so she didn't walk into any walls. The brunette was sure she was heading in the right direction until she encountered something… soft. She squeezed the soft things lightly. What the..?

“Akko. Please let go of my breasts.” She heard Diana utter with a strained voice.

Akko dropped her hands and leapt away from the blonde witch. (She nearly lost her footing on some supplies again.)

“Your boobs?! No wonder it was so soft! Wait no! I wasn't supposed to say that! Aghhh, gomen gomen gomen, Diana!” Akko bowed towards Diana in apology, her face a furious red.

Oh wait. Akko just realised Diana couldn’t see her. She stopped bowing and bit her lip. Oh man she was so screwed, she _groped Diana’s boobs_. Diana was gonna be so mad! They were even bigger than she expected… Agh wait! No thinking like a perv; it’d just make her nosebleed even worse!

Eventually a heavy sigh echoed in the closet, bringing Akko back to the present. “Honestly, at this point I wonder if it is even possible for us to have a normal interaction?”

Akko laughed sheepishly while rubbing the back of her neck. “Ah... sorry Diana, I don't mean to mess everything up.”

Akko almost swooned when she heard a tiny giggle. “It is… alright. I must say life is never boring with you, Akko.”

The air then seemed to grow cold in the closet causing Akko to shiver. “I will hex you if you touch my breasts again, however. Accident or not.”

A small _eep_ escaped Akko’s throat. “I won’t! I promise!” And in that moment, an almost metallic-tasting liquid trickled into Akko’s mouth. “Ack!” Akko choked, and started spitting it out.

“Akko?!”

“Nosebleed - blood - in my mouth.”

“Oh goodness!”

Next thing Akko knew, one of Diana’s hands were on her shoulders. “I believe I have a handkerchief in my pocket.”

“Here,” the heiress said a moment later. Akko reached out, waving her hand around until it came into contact with Diana’s. She took the (silky?) handkerchief out of Diana’s hands and immediately shoved it up her nose.

“Ahh, much better~” Akko sighed in relief.

Akko heard a’ hmm’ of agreement. “Yes, that should stop the bleeding for a while until it clots.”

Akko then reached out her hand blindly and fumbled around until she came in contact with Diana’s. She interlocked their fingers.

“A-Akko?!”

Crap. She needed an excuse to hold Diana’s hand. “A-Ah it's dark… and I don't want to trip again. If I hold onto you that won't happen! ...I think.”

Silence.

Not being able to see Diana's expressions was kind of terrifying. She couldn't tell if Diana was speechless or ready to launch a tirade; it was nerve-racking.

“I- very well.”

Akko squealed with happiness (internally).

“So.. what now?” she asked after a moments silence.

She imagined Diana was currently tapping her chin in thought. “I am not quite sure. I believe we may have to wait until Amanda or someone else opens the door.”

“Ehhhhh?! That could take forever! Why did she lock us in here anyways?!”

The other girl grew silent. After a couple of seconds she whispered “I-I may have some theories on that but…”

For some reason, she sounded quite flustered to Akko.

“But what Diana?” Akko asked, squeezing the blonde's hand.

A sudden bang on the door startled the two witches. “Oi Akko, are you making out with Cavendish yet?!”

Akko’s jaw dropped in shock. She heard a sharp inhalation of breath beside her.

What was Amanda thinking?!

“Let us out Amanda!” Akko roared, approaching the door and releasing Diana's hand. She hammered her fist against it.

“Ooo feisty Akko~” Amanda teased, her voice muffled through the wood.

“Amanda-”

“Akko, do you like Diana?” the American witch asked with a mischievous lilt, and Akko was certain Amanda was waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Akko closed her mouth so hard her teeth audibly clacked together. She looked over her shoulder towards Diana. Luckily, Diana  couldn’t see her expression, but at the same time Akko couldn’t see hers. Akko grimaced as a bead of sweat trickled past her temple. This was such an awful time to confess - she didn’t want it to go like this! Akko took a deep breath. “Ahahaha good one Amanda! I.. uh.. o-of course I like Diana! What kind of question is that? She’s my... f-friend!”

A pregnant pause followed her awkward flawless exclamation.

Followed by the sound of Amanda cursing.

Suddenly the door swung open and Akko winced at the sudden change in brightness. “Agh! Why didn’t the stupid truth potion work?!” Amanda growled.

“Wha-” Akko began but yelped as Amanda grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the closet.

“Miss O’Neill. Unhand Akko. _Now_.” came a cold voice from behind. Akko looked over her shoulder to see Diana step out of the closet too.

Diana’s expression seemed calm when you first looked at her, but it was the subtle crease of her brow that made Akko gulp. Diana was _furious_.

Even Amanda sensed she was in a life or death situation. She dropped Akko’s wrist like it was plagued and held her hands up in surrender. “Ah… hey Cavendish.. Congrats on coming out of the closet?”

Diana’s eyes narrowed and she took a step towards Amanda. Amanda shrieked and bolted from the room. Akko stood there dumbfounded, trying to understand what was going on. What truth potion was Amanda talking about?!

“D-Diana!” she stammered, spinning around to face Diana. “S-Sor -”

“You have nothing to apologise for, Akko,” Diana interrupted her. “I am not angry at you, I assure you of that.”

Akko let out a sigh of relief. That’s good.

“But I am… _displeased_ with Miss O’Neill’s and Miss Manbanvarum’s actions. Their ‘prank’ or whatever this farce was intended to be was cruel.” Diana’s voice quivered with anger.

Akko’s eyes widened at the barely restrained anger in Diana’s voice. But then she realised something. “What did Sucy have to do with this?”

Diana closed her eyes and let out a slow, controlled breath. She seemed a lot more calm after it. “Amanda mentioned a truth potion. I assume she mixed it in with your food at some point during the day. And the intention was for you to.. Um. Say something to me in the supply closet. She procured the potion from somebody. The most reasonable deduction is that Manbanvarum provided it. They do often ‘team-up’ when they want to cause mischief.”

“Ahhh…” Akko trailed off. Why would Sucy try to interfere now?! It was such bad timing, she was so close to seducing Diana. Akko frowned deeply. She was actually pretty angry the more she thought about it. They had tried to get her to confess to Diana while under a truth potion?! That could’ve gone so so wrong. She hoped that Diana would whoop Amanda’s ass now because she really deserved it!

“I-I beg your pardon?”

She really needed to stop saying stuff out loud. “Ahhh you weren’t supposed to hear that Diana! I mean -  crap!” Akko coughed to compose herself. “… I’d never think anything like that! Nope, not me!” She then narrowed her eyes. “But this time I’m so mad so if you want to hex Amanda and Sucy I’ll help you!”

To her surprise, the corner of Diana’s mouth turned up slightly. “Thank you, Akko. But as much as I want to hex them, we do not have our wands at the moment. But that will not prevent me from reprimanding them. _Severely_.”

Akko let out a disappointed groan. But her mood immediately brightened when Diana giggled. She beamed at Diana and offered her hand. “Yosh! Let’s go! I want to see Amanda beg for forgiveness!”

Diana smirked. “I can make that happen.” And she took Akko’s hand.

* * *

“I’ve never felt so… what was the word Diana used… ‘chastised’  in my entire life,” Amanda groaned, jumping face first onto her bed. “Figures that Diana would make me do her’s and Akko’s work too…” she mumbled into her pillow. “I’d almost prefer a lecture from ol’ Finny.”

The red, green and blue teams (sans Akko and Diana) had all gathered in the green team dorm after detention.

“Good,” a soft voice said with surprising bite.

Amanda turned around, aghast. “Lotte?!”

To her surprise, the Lotte’s face was set in a stern frown. “The plan was kinda mean. I’m glad it didn’t work.”

Amanda looked down in shame, trying to stop her cheeks from going red. “I know… I just… aghh. Why didn’t the truth potion work anyways, Sucy?” she asked, trying to hid her embarrassment.

Sucy’s shark-like grin was unsettling. “Because Lotte swapped the potion with a vial of water.”

Amanda’s jaw dropped. Lotte squeaked in surprise. “H-How did you know about that?”

Amanda frowned when Sucy merely cackled in reply. “So you knew the plan wasn’t going to work?!”

Sucy smirked. “Of course. It was just a test, kehkehkeh.”

“Oh my god are you telling me we had to deal with like, an hour lecture from Diana because you wanted to _test_ something?!” Hannah cried in outrage.

“My ears are _still_ burning…” Barbara muttered.

Sucy nodded, still smirking. “I didn’t really care if the plan worked… If it did, Akko would’ve confessed to Diana and it probably would’ve worked out pretty well. If not, they’ll both be thinking about how they need to confess sooner rather than later.”

Hannah opened her mouth to begin a tirade but another voice filled the room.

“I’m also glad it didn’t work out,” Jasminka said cheerfully, munching on some crisps. “Diana and Akko need to confess by their own free will.”

Constanze nodded in agreement.

“Agh I hate when you both make too much sense,” Amanda grumbled. “I just wanted to help…”

Lotte smiled. “We all want to help but...”

Hannah rolled her eyes. “It’ll probably take another year but we have to let them do it themselves.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

 


	9. Revenge!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S A NEW CHAPTER OMG!!!!
> 
> Wow can't believe this is the chapter that took me so long to write. I had such intense writer block. But anyways, if you're coming back to this fic I wholly recommend rereading because I did rewrite the entire fic and there's quite a bit of new content. And that's not even including this behemoth of a chapter lol
> 
> I apologise for any grammar mistakes and whatnot. It's such a big chapter and I proofed it fairly briefly.

Ever since that… altercation during detention, Diana had been on high alert for any hijinks from anyone in the Green, Red or Blue team. Even Barbara and Hannah had not escaped her scrutiny. She would not tolerate anyone interfering in her relations with Akko. It was a private matter, one that needed to stay between her and Akko. She had actually been extremely disappointed in Hannah and Barbara after learning of their involvement. Or at least how they did not stop it from happening. According to them, they had wanted to give Diana another opportunity to confess since they had interrupted her and Akko in the library which she supposed she could understand. It did not make her any less irritated however.

Speaking of a certain witch, Diana smiled softly as she watched Akko bound the corridor just in front of her with seemingly endless amounts of energy. Her eyes were drawn to the wild bobbing of Akko’s ponytail. It was almost frustratingly adorable.

The girl turned to face her, a large grin on her face. “So~ You gonna help me prank Amanda back?”

Diana sighed. “Are you still pestering me about this, Akko? I said no.”

The resulting pout made her heart skip a beat but she maintained her stony expression.

“B-But,  _Diana_ -"

“ _No_.”

And that was just one of many similar conversations. No matter the location or time, Akko would ask her to assist in pranking Amanda. Diana had always admired Akko’s tenacity but by the Nine this was just pure stubbornness.

_For example, during class:_

“Diana!” she heard Akko hiss from across the classroom. Diana frowned but didn’t take her eyes off the board. Honestly, it was class time - with Professor Finnelan of all people - Akko was just asking for trouble. So Diana ignored her.

At least that _was_ the plan but then she got stabbed in the eye. Which hurt. A lot. In fact, Diana may have emitted a small bit of a yelp. That attracted everyone's attention to the paper plane that had just landed on her desk.

 _Brilliant_. Just brilliant.

Professor Finnelan walked up to her desk, holding out her hand. Diana handed it to her with a barely audible sigh. This...This was not going to end well. Professor Finnelan opened the plane, and a moment later glared in Akko’s direction. “If you wish to proposition Miss Cavendish, Miss Kagari, I suggest you wait until after class time.”

The class snickered at Akko’s embarrassed wail and Diana ducked her head, trying to hide her flushed cheeks. What on earth had Akko written?!

_While flying:_

The trees appeared to be no more than blurs of green and brown as Diana sped through the forest on her broom. She let a small grin grow on her face; in the air there was nothing but her, her broom and-

“ _Akko?!”_

The blonde pulled the nose of her broom up, bringing her to a stop. She blinked in surprise at the sight in front of her.

Akko was… upside down... and stuck in a bunch of tree branches.

“Oh hi Diana,” Akko laughed sheepishly.

Diana sighed, somehow she wasn't even overly surprised to find Akko in such a predicament. She flew forward until she was underneath Akko. Taking her wand out and flicking it at the trees, Diana commanded the branches to bend away from Akko.

“Huh?” Akko groaned, realising that she was no longer stuck. And... no longer held up by anything but the air itself. She screamed as she fell straight into Diana’s arms.

“Oh.” Akko said after it was apparent she was no longer plummeting to her death.

Diana huffed, shuffling back and then moving Akko so she was seated on the broom facing her. “Did you honestly believe I would let you fall?”

The smile she received was blinding. “Of course not! You’re always there to catch me when I fall, Diana,” Akko stated with utmost confidence, her ruby eyes bright.

Diana looked away, blushing heavily. “Wh-While I appreciate your faith in me, I’m afraid it is misplaced as I was not here earlier when…” She paused for a moment, furrowing her brows in confusion. “What happened to you, Akko?”

To Diana’s surprise, Akko grimaced and looked away from her. “I was practicing my flying but um… my magic went again so I lost control…” Akko said, the end of the sentence barely audible.

“Again?” Diana asked, her lips twisting downwards. Akko nodded reluctantly. “That is worrisome. Your magic is taking longer than expected to stabilise… but you are making remarkable progress despite that!” she added quickly after noticing Akko’s downcast expression.

“I suppose…”

Diana took Akko’s hands in hers. “No, _truly_ , Akko. I am not saying that to make you feel better; I truly believe you have come far since the Missile Crisis. Your flying skills in particular.” She smirked slightly. “It will not be long before you can race that brute Amanda.”

Akko’s downcast expression morphed into a smile and she cried “I’ll trash Amanda in a race before you know it!”

Diana smiled at her enthusiasm. Amanda, although Diana was loathe to admit it, was a natural on a broom, but Akko… Akko was something else, an anomaly that even Amanda would have difficulty dealing with in time.

“Amanda huh…” she heard Akko murmur.

“Say, Diana, can I ask you something?” the Japanese witch said, mischief clear in her tone.

Diana narrowed her eyes at Akko in suspicion. “No.”

Akko snapped her head up, eyes wide. “Wha-”

“I know you are going to ask me to prank Amanda.”

Akko stuck her tongue out. “You don’t know that!”

Diana’s lips twitched with amusement. “I do. Subtlety is not your strong suit, Akko.”

Akko struggled to find a retort, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Then her eyes narrowed and an impish smirk grew on her face.

“Youhavetoprankamandawithmeifyousaypardon.”

Diana blinked in confusion. “Pardon?”

Akko burst into laughter. “I got you! You have to prank Amanda with me now!”

Flabbergasted, Diana retorted. “I most certainly do not.”

“Do!”

“Not.”

“You do!”

“Akko, need I remind you that we’re twenty feet above the ground and you are on _my_ broom?”

Akko gulped and wisely chose to remain silent.

And so Diana continued to refuse Akko’s request until one day they were walking down the corridor after class...

“Di~an~a~!”

“I refuse.”

“But-”

“ _No_.”

“But _Diana_ ~” Akko cried, latching onto Diana's arm. “I really want to teach Amanda a lesson by pranking her back!”

Diana rolled her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time since that disastrous detention. She stopped walking and hit Akko with an impassive stare. “Akko, I refuse to partake in such juvenile activities.”

It was then someone bumped into her rather forcefully, and a whisper of “Hey Gayvendish~ I think Akko would look better on _my_ arm~” reached her ears. Of course, the perpetrator was none other than Amanda, who proceeded to stroll down the corridor with her arms crossed behind her head.

Diana, who had grown up amongst nobility and as such was a master of masking her emotions, managed to contain her irritation bar for a slight twitch in her eye. She switched her focus to Akko, fighting to maintain her neutral expression. “I take back my prior statement. Just tell me what to do.”

* * *

 “Akko, you do realise that as a Cavendish I have many expectations to uphold?”

“I think it's all stupid, but yeah, what about it?”

“Asking me to break into a dorm room is not meeting these expectations,” Diana replied exasperated. “In fact, it is utterly destroying them.”

Akko was silent for a moment. “Screw those expectations! We're gonna get revenge!”

Diana began to protest, but then ruby eyes glanced back at her and the shine of determination and mischievousness in them made her heart flutter. “V-Very well. I must admit I am curious as to what you have planned, Akko. You have been very secretive about what is underneath that cloth,” she said, eyeing the bundle in Akko’s arms.

Akko clutched the mysterious object closer to her chest with a smirk. “That's ‘cause it's a surprise!”

Diana hummed in response. She supposed she could indulge Akko’s need to surprise her for a little longer. Upon reaching the Green team dorm, Diana surveyed the area. It was silent; Akko and herself were the only two on the corridor. Taking a deep breath, Diana grabbed her wand and pointed at the door. Her wand lit up with a green light, and she flicked it towards the lock. “It's unlocked now,” she informed Akko, tucking her wand back into her sash.

“You're amazing Diana!” Akko beamed, and opened the door.

Diana flushed slightly at the praise but then sighed. “If you wish for this prank go go undiscovered, you should keep your voice down.” She rolled her eyes at the sheepish look Akko gave her.

They both walked into the Green Team Dorm, and to their relief, Akko’s ‘top-secret-info-from-her-super-secret-reliable-source’ paid off; no-one was there.

“May I finally discover what this prank entails?” Diana asked. She had to admit that a small part of her was rather excited for this prank, but she was mainly worried about what Akko was planning.

Akko whirled around so fast that she startled Diana. With an energetic grin the brunette exclaimed “A Lo-” but after giving her a stern look, Akko’s voice dropped to a whisper. “A Love Bee. Sucy had a spare one in the dorm.”

A flash of panic ran through Diana. She really was not fond of Love Bees. “Is that really a good idea, Akko? Remember the spectacle at Andrew's party?”

“Ohhhh, when you fell in love with yourself?” Akko giggled.

Diana felt her cheeks heat up. “I did not mean that.. occurrence in particular but yes, _that_ party.”

She scowled at the brunette. “And I believe we all came to an agreement to never discuss that incident again.”

“Only you said that Diana. No-one else agreed with it!” Akko smiled innocently. _Too_ innocently.

Diana crossed her arms and huffed. “You're insufferable.”

Akko merely grinned in response. She then pulled the cloth off the bundle in her arm. “Ta da! The Love Bee!”

Diana eyed the container wearily.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Akko? What if - _Akko!”_

The Love Bee shot out of the newly opened container like a bullet, clearly eager to be free of its confinement.

“It's okay, Diana! Now we just have to leave before it gets -”

“Ouch!” Akko exclaimed, and Diana's stomach grew heavy with dread.

Diana's eyes focused on where Akko was rubbing with her hand. And just above her was, buzzing away happily, was a very mischievous looking Love Bee.

Diana took a deep breath and slowly retreated back to the door. Just small steps backwards away Akko, she could do this. She had to get away before Akko looked at her or the bee decided to attack again. A Love Bee was not something she had wanted to contend with _ever_ again and yet here she was, about to be on the receiving end this time and it was _Akko._ How was she supposed to stay calm if Akko professed feelings for her!? It would be an impossible feat. She had to flee. She would be calm and composed and -

“Diana? Where are you going?” came Akko’s voice, laced with confusion.

Diana froze, unwilling to look Akko in the eye. “I… I remembered I had prior commitments to attend to so I must be going now.” Wait a moment. Akko seemed to be... coherent? She chanced a glance at the brunette. “Are y- How are you feeling, Akko?”

To her surprise, Akko smiled. “I’m good! My neck kinda hurts though… Stupid Love Bee.” Then Akko’s eyes widened comically and she looked around frantically. “Agh where is it?!”

Diana scanned the room meticulously. No sign of the bee. But the window was open and that meant…

“It appears the Love Bee has flown out the window and is probably on Luna Nova grounds as we speak.”

“Ehhhhh?!” Akko exclaimed. Then she dropped to the ground and wailed. “Aw man I’m gonna get in so much trouble for this!”

Diana couldn’t exactly lie to the poor girl. The bee was bound to cause havoc. “Perhaps if we search for the bee we can recapture it before it causes too many… problems.”

Akko lifted up her head, the tears at the corners of her eyes somehow vanishing. “Ya! We can do that!” Akko jumped to her feet and walked over to her. “C’mon let’s go find that bee!” and marched past her towards the door.

“Akko, please wait a moment. You do realise that finding the Love Bee will be like finding a needle in a haystack?”

Akko looked over her shoulder, a blank expression on her face. “Eh?”

“The Love Bee will be difficult to find considering the size of Luna Nova’s grounds. We need a better plan than gallivanting around hoping to find it.”

Diana smiled fondly at Akko’s resulting pout. “I don’t know what to do so…” Akko whined, stomping over to Diana. Akko looked her in the eye before plonking her head on Diana’s shoulder with a pitiful groan.

 _Oh_. She had really not expected that. Diana could only hope Akko did not pay attention to the obvious hitch in her breath. It was far too embarrassing otherwise. “I may have a solution,” she said after regaining her composure.

Akko raised her head, an eager grin on her face. “Really?!”

“Yes. All spells leave a unique trace of magical energy that can be tracked if one is diligent. The love magic that the Love Bee employs should be no different. I will use my wand to scan for traces of love magic, and we should be able to track it down.”

“Yay! We’ll find that bee in no time!”

* * *

 

“So, where is the bee?” Akko asked her, as they walked down a corridor. “I can’t be completely sure, but I believe it is leading us to the cafeteria,” Diana replied. Her wand started to glow brighter, as if confirming that fact. Rounding the corner, Diana froze, causing Akko to walk into her.

“Ouch! Why’d you stop?!”

“Eh? Diana...?” She felt Akko poke her in the arm, but kept her eyes trained on the cafeteria entrance.

“Do… Do you hear that?” She said quietly.

It took a moment for Akko to reply. “Eh?! What’s all that noise?!”

“Come on,” she urged, tugging Akko’s wrist. “I fear we're far too late.”

Contrary to popular belief, Diana did not have an obsession with being right. While it was true that she loved knowledge and logic, sometimes she preferred when her deductions were incorrect. This was _definitely_ one of these times.

They _were_ too late; the cafeteria was a chaotic mess. The first thing she noticed was a group of students and staff were huddled in a corner with a barrier erected around them. Lotte and Sucy were some of the students inside the barrier. Diana was relieved that they had escaped the Love Bee. Outside the barrier were the witches who clearly had been stung by the Love Bee. Some were banging on the barrier, trying to get to the one the Love Bee had bewitched them to love. _Oh. Amanda_ was one of the aforementioned witches. She knew it was very inappropriate considering the seriousness of the situation, but a tiny part of her could not help appreciating the humour that Akko’s prank was technically not a complete disaster.

“Eh...It could be worse… right?” came Akko’s strained voice from beside her.

Diana winced. She didn’t really think it could be much worse than this.  But this time Diana was wrong, and she watched in horror as Professor Finnelan climbed onto one of the cafeteria tables.

“Detention for all of you brats!” the witch hollered. “My time with my love will not be interrupted by ye. For our love is the purest lo-”

“For the love of Beaxtrix, get down from that table, Anne!” Professor Badcock shrieked from inside the barrier.

“Anything for my love!” Professor Finnelan responded with a flourish of her hands before she jumped off the table.

Diana glanced at Akko who was watching the scene with an expression of awe. “Akko, I am going to make my way over to Professor Badcock. She appears to be one of the only staff who has not been stung as of yet. She should be able to assist us in dealing with the Love Bee.”

“Okay,” Akko replied absentmindedly, still in shock.

“Professor Badcock?” Diana said as she made her way over to the barrier.

“Diana!” the profesor exclaimed. Drawing everyone's attention to her. “What are you doing out there?! You might get stung!”

“Professor I -”

“Diana, you must help! Oh this is going to cost Luna Nova so much money… Look at the state of the cafeteria… Oh the budgets! Think of the budgets!”

Diana’s eyes widened at the outburst. “I.. Of course, Professor. I will put an end to this immediately.” She looked around her briefly. “Do you know if the Love Bee is still here? My wand still indicates that it is nearby but I have yet to see it.”

She heard Akko yelp in alarm, but her words did not register until it was too late. She barely had enough time to close her eyes.

The sting was brief and the pain made her clench her teeth, but Diana held her breath until she heard the Love Bee fly away.

“Diana! Diana, are you okay?!” She heard Akko’s loud footsteps draw closer. Diana looked over at what she presumed was Akko’s approximate location. “Yes, I am for now. I closed my eyes before I got stung so the magic has yet to take effect.”

“Ohhhh… But what are you gonna do now?! You can’t keep your eyes closed forever!”

“It’s time to test a theory I have,” Diana murmured.

“Eh? Did you say something, Diana?”

“Akko, come closer. I need you to be in front of me when I open my eyes.”

“But won’t you-!”

“Akko, please. Just trust me.”

“Y-you know I’ll always trust you, Diana,” was Akko’s bashful reply.

Diana smiled softly. This girl… She truly was something else. Trusting someone was _so_ hard for Diana, she was too used to those who wanted to use her for her name and reputation. And yet Akko...Akko’s trust in people was unwavering, she always had faith, even if she did not get along with someone. And yes, she was thinking about herself and how Akko had believed in her so much even when she was Akko's ‘rival’. If her theory was wrong, and she did become an even more lovestruck fool, she knew Akko would take care of her. So she slowly opened her eyes. There was a moment of tense silence, but Diana did not feel any change. She let out a relieved sigh. “I’m still here, Akko.” She was certain the relief in Akko’s eyes mirrored her own, and she gasped when she found herself grappled into one of Akko’s bear hugs.

“ _Akko…_ ”

“Ah, sorry!” Akko chuckled awkwardly as she released Diana. “I-I was just worried about you.”

Diana smiled fondly at the brunette.

“Ahem!”

Diana blinked as she remembered where she was. She stood ramrod straight and clasped her hands behind her back. “My apologies, Professor Badcock. I was - I was -”

“Yes, yes, having a moment, I know.” the witch said quickly, oblivious to the blushes she caused to bloom on Diana’s and Akko’s faces. “But we need solutions! I have a class at…” Professor Badock paused for a moment, a confused expression on her face. “I.. I cannot remember the time, but I have classes to go to and budgets to prepare! So please, Diana, Akko, stop the Love Bee!”

Diana raised her chin in acknowledgement. “Of course, Professor. ” She then turned her gaze on Sucy who looked rather amused by the whole situation. “Miss Manbavaran, I don't suppose you have any suggestions as to how we should counteract the Love Bee? Do you still have that fan from Andrew’s party?”

Sucy’s visible eye widened momentarily, as if surprised that Diana would ask for her help in front of the student body. She was slightly surprised with herself, in all honesty. There would be gossip about how the ‘great’ Diana Cavendish had required _help_ from someone else as if it was some blasphemous notion. She usually preferred to avoid gossip-creating situations like these. (Except when Akko was involved. Akko was her only exception because Diana had long given up on avoiding embarrassing situations with Akko in her life.)

“Poisons are my specialty, not antidotes and countermeasures,” Sucy shrugged with an almost practiced nonchalance. Diana repressed the urge to shudder when a sinister smile grew on Sucy's face. “Although… I might know how to stop the Love Bee… for a price.”

Diana narrowed her eyes at the Filipino witch. She should have anticipated that. She opened her mouth to reply but Professor Badcock spoke first. “Such audacity! Sucy, now is not the time for your games! Answer Diana's questions so she can stop the Love Bee and I can… do whatever I was supposed to be doing,“ the witch finished with yet another confused expression.

Diana was grateful for the interjection. She always avoided owing Sucy a debt at all costs due to, well, simple self-preservation. Said witch appeared unmoved by Professor Badcock’s lecture, but Diana knew differently. The girl was suitably chastised; the faintest blush on her cheeks gave it away. True to her character, Sucy responded with another shrug. “Nope, I don’t have the fan… Akko left that at the party…” Diana side-eyed Akko who laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of her neck. _Sorry,_ Akko mouthed at her. Diana shook her head reassuringly, she wasn’t mad or anything. “- but a bee killing spray should work. Probably. You just need Thericide -”

“-  Mellifera,” Diana finished, the gears in her mind turning rapidly. She knew for a fact she had some in her room - she had required it for a recent potions assignment.

“Come with me, Akko. I now know what to do.” Diana glanced at her wand. The light had grown significantly dimmer in the past few minutes . “The Love Bee has left the vicinity, so we must hurry.”

“Okay! It sucks that I can’t use the fan again though… That was kinda fun.”

They were nearly out of the cafeteria when Sucy’s voice reached their ears. “Kehkehkeh. I wonder where this Love Bee came from~”

The girl beside her blanched. “G-Good question Sucy! I-I wanna know that too! I uh… I gotta go!” and she marched out of the cafeteria before Sucy could tease her further. Diana glanced back at Sucy with suspicion. She would not be surprised if Sucy played a part in Akko’s… _inspired_ prank choice.

* * *

 

When Diana entered her dorm she froze. She supposed this was bound to happen at some stage. She had been aware of it for some time - the muffling charms could only block out so much noise unfortunately - but never did she anticipate walking in on Hannah and Barbara in the middle of their… canoodling. Especially with _Akko_ who squeaked in alarm when she entered the room. The two girls were a messy tangle of limbs, and the Hannah had the latter pushed against a wall with her hand…

Well, Diana was thankful she could not see where Hannah’s hand was located. The duo were apparently too enraptured with each other to have heard Akko's squeak. Diana closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She really was not sure how to get their attention without causing a scene. Perhaps if she just cleared her throat loudly -

“Oh my god Diana! The Love Bee got Hannah and Barbara too!” Akko exclaimed, apparently over her initial shock. Diana glanced at Akko in alarm, but quickly returned her attention to her teammates.

Their reaction was immediate.

Barbara screamed, pushing Hannah away from her. Hannah stumbled backwards, but whirled around to face them, her eyes wide with shock. She looked at Diana in horror as the colour rapidly drained from her face.

“Y-You weren't supposed to be here!”

Diana raised a sculpted brow. “I was not aware that I was only allowed enter _our_ dorm at certain times.”

“S-She didn't mean it that way Diana!” Barbara protested. “It's just that…”

Diana opened her mouth to reply, but was distracted by a blur of motion in her peripheral vision.

Akko flew past her, and stopped before Hannah. “Aghhhh gomen Hannah!” she cried. “I'll catch the Love Bee and fix this!”

Diana groaned internally. This conversation was going to become uncomfortable fast.

Hannah narrowed her eyes in confusion. “What on earth are you talking abou - Ouch!”

Barbara had deftly elbowed Hannah in the side, and stepped towards Akko. “Ahem. Yes Akko, we were stung by the Love Bee and it has made me realise how much I l-love Hannah.”

Hannah’s jaw dropped, but after a loaded look from Barbara, her face lit up with understanding. Hannah wrapped her arm around Barbara's waist, her face contorting into a… passionate expression. “Oh yes! The Love Bee!” she cried with fervor. “I thank it ever so much for making me realise how much I love Barbara. Without it… I would have been doomed to never realise the depths of my feelings. ”

“It's true, Akko,” Barbara crooned while caressing Hannah's cheek.

Akko blinked owlishly at Hannah and Barbara who were cooing at each other, and slowly retreated to where Diana was standing. The next thing Diana knew, Akko’s hand was wrapped around her wrist, and she was pulled behind the bookcase that separated her room from the rest of the dorm. She opened her mouth to question Akko, but found Akko’s finger on her lips before she could make a sound.

“ _S_ _hhhh!”_ Akko hissed. “I don't want them weirdos to come around here!”

Releasing her wrist, Akko shuffled over to Diana's bed and flopped on it face first. She muttered something unintelligible into the quilt, probably complaining about Hannah and Barbara or lamenting the fact that she didn't get to eat lunch since the cafeteria was off-limits for all Diana knew. Or both. Most likely both.

Diana decided to ignore the fact that Akko was currently in her bed. Yes, she had far more urgent matters to attend to; they had come to the Blue team dorm for a reason after all. Moving over to her desk, Diana rooted through the many drawers pulling out various vials and ingredients.

“Whatcha doing, Diana?”

Diana turned around to find Akko sitting at the end of the bed, eyeing the assortment of items in her arms with curiosity.

“I am gathering the necessary ingredients to create a potion that will neutralise the Love Bee and its magic.”

Akko perked up immediately. “Oh cool! I knew you'd think of something Diana!”

Diana tilted her head in acknowledgement of the praise with a slight blush. “I am merely keeping my word to Professor Badcock. Sucy was the one who gave me the idea.”

Now it was a matter of creating said potion. She had some books on love magic in her bookshelf, so she brought them over to the desk. She had the ingredients, her cauldron which she got from under her desk, and reference books; she was ready to begin the brewing process.

“I knew you'd say something like that, Diana! Hmph, everyone in Luna Nova really takes you for granted,” Akko grumbled.

Diana smiled bashfully at Akko's words, but was secretly relieved that Akko seemed content to converse with her rather than trying to assist her with the potion. Akko’s special brand of ‘help’ often had disastrous consequences for everyone involved.

“Hmm. That would include you so, no?” she replied with a wry smile, glancing over her shoulder.

“ _Ehhh_?!”

“I'm joking, Akko.”

“Oh.”

A small laugh escaped her lips at Akko’s reaction as she returned her focus to the potion. At this stage of the brewing she had to be exact in her movements so she had to concentrate. Thankfully, she was certain Akko was currently struggling to find a suitable retort and would not interrupt her for a while.

She was right, and it wasn’t until she was putting the finishing touches on the potion that Akko spoke up. “Nnnn… Diana, are you nearly finished?”

Diana got off her chair and poured the contents of her cauldron into a flask. “Yes, I finished just there actually.” She turned around and chuckled when her eyes settled on Akko. Akko had clearly fallen asleep when Diana had been brewing, and she was rubbing her eyes sluggishly.

“Hmm good because that was sooo boring.”

Diana rolled her eyes. “Perhaps. But it is necessary. Now it is just a matter of find the Love Bee again and spraying it with the potion.”

Akko nodded eagerly but then squinted at the flask. “Wait. How will we spray it?”

Diana paused. She had not considered that. “I suppose we could transfigure the top of the flask…”

Akko’s eyes brightened and she beamed. “Ooo I know what to do!” Diana handed Akko the flask and watched as Akko pointed her wand at it. The top of the flask transformed into a nozzle-like object under the green glow of Akko’s wand.

“It’s kinda like a cleaning spray bottle now!” Akko chirped, tucking her wand back into her sash.

Diana nodded with satisfaction. That would work perfectly. “Well done Akko, your transfiguration has improved immensely.”

Akko tilted her head to the side and smiled bashfully. “Ah… Thanks Diana! I’ve been practicing a lot recently…”

Diana picked up her wand and cast the tracking spell. “Let us make haste, Akko. Who knows what havoc the Love Bee has caused while I was brewing the spray.”

“Okay!”

The Love Bee was still within Luna Nova’s grounds, Diana noted with relief. She had feared the creature would have got bored and attempted to find new victims. But its work here was apparently not finished, and Diana was sure it had returned to the cafeteria. And that was where she and Akko had ended up. The situation was very much the same as before: Professor Badcock still had the barrier up, protecting those inside from the Love Bee and the students outside who were bewitched.

“Akko, stay vigilant. The Love Bee is somewhere close, so you must locate it. If you get stung, close your eyes until I come over to you.”

Akko nodded enthusiastically. “Will do! You do the same, okay?”

“Of course,” Diana replied, shutting the door behind her. They had a plan, and Diana was quite certain it would succeed.

They each had a task: Akko would chase the Love Bee and try to spray it, and Diana would ensure it could not escape the cafeteria.

Diana hurried over to the cafeteria’s large windows. Each window had a small window at the top that was open to help air circulate throughout the room. She could not let the Love Bee escape through them. Diana pointed her wand at the windows and made a sharp vertical movement with her wrist causing them to snap shut. That was one point of exit down. Diana examined the room quickly. Akko was currently pursuing the Love Bee and was hopping from table to table and yelling at the top of her lungs. The Love Bee kept narrowly dodging Akko’s sprays and Diana could tell Akko was getting frustrated. She was actually a little worried Akko would fall - She had to stop fretting over Akko and focus on her own task. Diana had closed the entrance door and the windows… What else, what else was there to do?!

Then her eyes landed on the deli itself. There was a door behind it for the kitchen staff to come through and it was wide open! Diana sprinted over, weaving around the tables and bewitched students. She was almost there when Akko cried “Diana, duck!”

Diana didn’t hesitate and dropped to her knees. The Love Bee zoomed over where her head had just been. “Thank you, Akko!” she breathed, and got to her feet again. Running over to the counter, she planted her hand on the surface and hopped over. Her eyes widened as she heard the tell-tale approach of the Love Bee. It must be trying to escape through the door! Diana heard Akko cry her name, but she ignored it and lunged for the door. She slammed it shut just as the Love Bee reached it.

The Love Bee flew into the door at full speed and floated back, disorientated.

“Diana, catch!”

Diana turned around to see Akko lob the potion over to her. Akko’s throw was extremely accurate; she just had to hold out her hands to catch it. Swivelling around on the balls of her feet, Diana sprayed the Love Bee with the potion. Nothing happened and she panicked internally. What were they going to do if it didn’t work?! But then the Love Bee disappeared in a poof of purple smoke and Diana let out a sigh of relief. It was over!

“Diana!”

Diana turned into the direction of Akko’s voice to find Akko flying towards her with her arms outstretched. All the breath left her lungs as Akko barreled into her and pulled her into a hug.

“A-Akko, you’re crushing me…”

Akko moved back, and her arms slid from Diana’s back to her arms. The movement made Diana shiver a little, but she did not tell Akko to let go. Akko’s ruby eyes were bright with excitement and she did not want to stop that. “Ah.. sorry, but we did it! Oh and the way you jumped over the counter! Agh so cool! I mean, I just did it there, but when you did it it was so awesome!”

Diana chuckled at Akko’s rambling. “Well, I think you running across the tables was rather impressive. I was a little afraid you would fall, honestly.”

“Agh I was kinda afraid I’d fall too! But I was just so annoyed at the stupid bee that I did it anyways!”

Diana glanced over to the Professor Badcock’s barrier. It was still up, Diana assumed Professor Badcock did not want to take any risks. “Akko, we must see if everyone has recovered from the Love Bee.”

Akko hmmed in agreement and relinquished her grip on Diana’s arms. It wasn’t until Akko said “Uh.. Diana? You have to let go too.” that Diana realised she still had her hands on Akko’s waist.

“Ah, m-my apologies,” Diana managed to say after stepping back from Akko. She looked away and coughed lightly into her fist to regain her composure. When her eyes met Akko’s once more, Akko bit her lip, but muffled laughter still escaped. “Stop laughing,” Diana mumbled, she could feel her cheeks heating up with embarrassment.

“Ah, sorry sorry, Diana. Let’s go so,” Akko grinned teasingly, and Diana was relieved Akko did not pursue the matter any further. Diana would have died of mortification if she had.

They made their way over to the barrier where a lot of students and staff were rubbing their heads confusedly.

“What the heck just happened?!” Amanda grunted as she plonked onto one of the nearby chairs.

“I want someone to explain what happened immediately!” Professor Finnelan demanded with her hands on her hips.

“I can explain, Professor Finnelan,” Diana said, clasping her hands behind her back. Aware that she had everyone’s attention, she cleared her throat. “It was a rogue Love Bee that caused all this havoc. It attacked during lunch when most students and staff were congregated here. Professor Badcock brought all of the unaffected students to one side of the cafeteria and casted a barrier to protect them,” she guestered at Professor Badcock who finally let the barrier down at her words. “Miss Kagari and I were not in the cafeteria when it happened, but when we did enter the cafeteria, we were asked to stop the Love Bee by Professor Badcock. So -”

“So we kicked the Love Bee’s butt!” Akko exclaimed, punching her fist up into the air. A lot of students snickered at Akko who then flushed with embarrassment.

“Ahhhh… yes. As Akko aptly put it, we stopped the Love Bee. Is there anything else you would like to know?”

Professor Finnelan narrowed her eyes. “And where did this Love Bee come from then?” she asked, an unsaid accusation in her tone. The accusation was obviously directed at Akko, who was bearing the brunt of Professor Finnelan’s glare. Poor Akko did not know what to do; her eyes were darting from side-to-side and she fingered the collar of her shirt awkwardly. Diana had a decision to make: She could either cover up for herself and Akko, or she could tell the truth. Diana was not fond of lying, so she opened her mouth and said “I was with Ms Kagari all afternoon, Professor Finnelan. She was not involved.” Diana blinked in surprise at what she said. That… That was not what she intended to say. It was clear that Professor Finnelan was surprised too, as her eyebrows nearly rose up to her hairline. Diana dared not look at Akko’s expression, she was sure the girl was gawking unabashedly at her.

Professor Finnelan was silent for a moment, seemingly unsure of what to say. Then her glare returned full force and she gestured at everyone in the vicinity. “It appears that Ms Kagari was not involved in a disaster for once, which means the culprits are still among us! I will find out who let the Love Bee free! If you do not admit it now, there will be severe consequences.”

Professor Badcock nodded severely. “Anne is right. Whoever interrupted my budget-forming time will be heading straight to detention!”

A choked noise escaped Akko’s throat that Diana hoped did not reach Professor Finnelan’s ears. But luck was against her, and Professor Finnelan spun around to glare at Akko once more. “What was that Ms Kagari? Have you got something to share with everyone?”

“I-I.. um,” Akko stammered, her face growing paler by the second. Professor Finnelan’s face contorted with anger and she looked ready to begin a tirade, but paused at the sound of someone guffawing.

The perpetrator was Amanda, who was slapping the table with amusement. “Aw man…” she sighed, wiping a tear from her eye. “This is just too good. Y’know Teach, I’m almost offended that you think Akko is the only one who can prank around here. I’m way better than Akko.”

Diana grabbed Akko’s wrist when Akko stepped towards Amanda. “Akko, don’t,” she murmured. She was curious where Amanda was going with this.

“So you are responsible for this?!” Professor Finnelan cried, outraged.

“Yep,” Amanda said nonchalantly, crossing her arms behind her head. “I mean, it wasn’t my best prank considering I got stung too.. Ah well.”

Diana’s jaw dropped for a split second, but she quickly closed it before anyone would notice. Amanda O’Neill was taking the blame for her and Akko. Why?!

“Come with me, Miss O’Neill,” Professor Finnelan almost growled, marching towards the cafeteria door. “We need to discuss your punishment.”

Amanda just shrugged and hopped of her chair. “Sure thing, Teach.” Amanda was almost at the door when she looked over her shoulder and met Diana’s eyes. _We’re even_ , she mouthed and walked out.

Even? Even for what?! Diana was absolutely perplexed. What had Amanda owed her and Akko? _An apology,_ her mind supplied after a while. That made more sense. O’Neill had never apologised after the detention fiasco; it wasn’t in her nature to do so. Of course she would find the most unorthodox way to apologise instead of just saying sorry. Diana’s lips twitched in amusement. She had to respect such stubbornness.

“Diana?”

Diana looked at Akko who had apparently attempting to get her attention for a while. “My apologies, Akko. I was lost in thought…”

“It’s okay! I’m kinda confused right now too!”

Diana nodded. “Yes, today has been rather… interesting. I do not think we should discuss it right now, however. Someone may overhear.”

“Okie dokie! Where do you want to go?” Akko chirped.

Diana bit her lip. She was not sure if she wanted to have that conversation with Akko right now. She needed to talk to Hannah and Barbara first, (They had to discuss the events of today after all. She knew they would try to avoid her until curfew.)  and perhaps even seek out Amanda. Actually no, she would not talk to Amanda. They were ‘even now’ as per Amanda’s words; she did not owe Amanda anything. It would only wound her and Amanda’s pride if she said thank you. Not that she was considering doing that. Taking the blame today was suitable recompense after nearly giving Akko a concussion.

“Akko, can we talk later? I have much to do today. Meet me outside just past the courtyard after curfew.”

“A-After curfew?!”

Diana nodded. It was strange to suggest breaking the rules, but today had been a strange day after all. “Yes, after curfew. I-I do not want anyone to interrupt us.”

Akko closed her jaw that had been hanging moments before. “A-Ah, okay! I’ll see you then.” and she dashed off towards Lotte and Sucy. Diana let out a breath she did not know she had been holding. That had been too close for comfort. She had been afraid Akko would have asked for an explanation on why the Love Bee had not affected them. It was a simple answer: The Love Bee’s sting did not affect those who looked at someone they already had feelings for after being stung. It was a simple answer that Diana was not ready to explain right now. She… She needed time to build up the resolve. Tonight she would explain what happened and then… Then she’d confess her feelings to Akko Kagari.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lads why is one of Luna Nova's professors called Badcock lmaoooooooooo


	10. Sex - wait what?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 11000 hits and 600 kudos I'm actually DEAD - Thank you so much guys T-T
> 
> Oh by the way, I kinda ended up doubling the size of this chapter? I received some good constructive criticism and I totally agreed that the ending was missing something. So I found that something. Now it's got extra antics, fluff, angst and just all round feels! The new content starts off from the old ending so it's up to you if you want to re-read the whole chapter. Hope you enjoy ;)

Atsuko Kagari had a problem. A very serious, amazing and beautiful problem called Diana Cavendish. The very same Diana Cavendish who asked Akko to meet her after curfew.

 _After_. _Curfew_.

_(They'd be alone. No-one would be there. All by themselves. All alone. With Diana. Not a soul in sight -)_

(Wow she's such a disaster gay.)

Was Diana gonna confess? Is that why she wanted to make sure they were alone? Wait. Should she confess to Diana first?!

Akko most definitely _wanted_ to confess, she planned to do so, but oh her heart was racing and her hands were sweaty. Although that could just be from the mug of hot chocolate in one hand, and the blankets in the other. Her hands were just toasty from the extra warmth, she - she wasn't nervous!

(Oh damn she was so bloody nervous.)

It was the guides fault though! Not hers! She wasn’t prepared because the last step was absolutely useless! It had taken one glance at the title for Akko to slam her laptop shut before she died of mortification.

‘ _Sex_!’ it had said. She'd been reading a sex guide!!! A guide to get in Diana's pants!

(Not that she'd mind that eventually, but not right now!)

Akko cringed at her thoughts and shifted nervously, causing the hot chocolate to slosh around in the mug and nearly spill. She was honestly in shock that she had spent a month of her life following a sex guide.

She shook her head. That didn't matter, nope! It had worked in the end anyways; Diana liked her! Probably. Kinda? She _knew_ something was going to happen between her and Diana tonight, a-and she was convinced it was a confession. Diana _lied_ to Finnelan-sensei for her, it had to mean _something_! And even if it didn’t… Akko would confess regardless. She had kept her feelings bottled up for far too long! She hadn’t followed that guide for nothing! Even if it had turned out to be a sex guide...

(Oh. Amanda had lied too. Which was really weird, but her mind had been fully occupied with thoughts of Diana all day so she'd put everything else to the back of her mind for later. She'd have to ask Diana about it at some point. )

Akko took a deep breath and stepped outside into the crisp breeze. A sudden gust froze her in her tracks and she shivered. Ew, it was so cold. Akko resisted the urge to pout. Why didn’t Diana choose a warmer meeting place?! Akko blessed her lucky stars that she thought of bringing some blankets because she’d probably freeze to death before she confessed to Diana.

Akko blinked as she came to a realisation: She was just delaying the inevitable by rambling so much.

She really wanted to slap her cheeks right now to cool her nerves. She was babbling so much inside her head, she couldn’t be like this in front of Diana! She had to be calm because this was it: The moment she had been dreaming of since Diana had laid her hand on top of Akko's and they used the Shiny Rod together. She was gonna confess to Diana Cavendish tonight.

(The ever-present butterflies in her stomach fluttered at the thought.)

Ah, she could see Diana! Akko stared at the girl and let out a shaky breath. Diana was always beautiful… but under the moonlight, she really was something else. The white light gave Diana’s hair an almost ethereal glow, and Akko was enraptured. She always had been, even when she uh… thought that Diana was all stuck up ‘n stuff. But even then, something had drawn her in.

Akko didn’t even realise she had started walking again until Diana spun around in alarm. Her footsteps must have been noticeable.

“O-Oh. It's just you Akko. You startled me.”

Akko grinned bashfully. “Ah, my bad Diana! I forgot to say something sooner.” She handed Diana the mug, who took it wordlessly, but raised a confused eyebrow. She shrugged and set one of the blankets on the grass.

“C’mere,” Akko chirped, sitting down on the blanket and patting beside her. “I brought these in case it was cold!”

“Oh, thank you. That was very thoughtful of you,” Diana murmured and sat down beside her. Akko smiled and wrapped the other blanket around their shoulders. Oh wow Diana was so close! Akko felt her heart rate pick up a notch; she was certain if it got any faster Diana would hear it.

“Where did you get the hot chocolate?”

“Ack!” Akko choked, and floundered for a response. Crap, she'd hoped Diana wouldn't ask that!

She gulped when Diana turned to face her, her narrowed blue eyes piercing through her. “You didn't pilfer this from the kitchen, did you?”

“Ehhh… No?” Diana's unimpressed stare made her reconsider her answer. “Okay, okay, I did steal it! I snuck into the kitchen before coming here…”

A wry smile grew on Diana's face after she took a sip from the mug. “I suppose it would be hypocritical of me to be angry considering I asked you to come here after curfew.”

“Too right!” Akko retorted and stuck out her tongue. She grinned when Diana leaned closer and giggled, causing their shoulders to brush.

Akko bit her lip. She had to say something before she lost her nerve. “D-Diana, I… um…I-” Damn it! Why couldn’t she say it?!

Diana seemed to sense her struggle, because she placed the mug on the ground and put a finger on Akko’s lips. Akko felt her breath hitch in surprise, but she let Diana speak. “I know what you are trying to say… You want to know why the Love Bee did not affect us, correct?”

It _really_ wasn’t what she wanted to say, but now that Akko thought about it, she did want to know why the Love Bee didn’t do anything to her and Diana. So she nodded in reply. To her surprise, Diana looked away as a blush coloured her face.

“It… It is embarrassing to admit it this way, but… I have feelings for you, Akko.” Diana met her gaze after saying this. Akko’s jaw dropped and she sat in a stunned silence. “I have for a long time now. That is why the Love Bee did not affect me when I looked at you, nor did it affect you when you looked at me. I-I know you have feelings for me too.”

“Oh,” Akko breathed, having finally regained her voice. Oh wow oh wow DIANA CONFESSED TO HER!!! Akko bit her lip to contain the squeal that was threatening to break loose. IT HAPPENED! IT REALLY HAPPENED! Her shock morphed into joy as she beamed at Diana who was blushing so hard even her ears had turned red.

“Aren’t- Aren’t you going to say anything?!”

“Oh g-gomen,” Akko stammered. “I just… I’m just kinda freaking out right now because I’m so happy and agghhhh~” She looked up at the sky and let out a relieved sigh. Returning her gaze to Diana, with a lopsided smile she said “It’s just… I’ve liked you for so long, and I was kinda starting to think you liked me too but I wasn’t sure because y’know… I’m well, _me_ and you’re _you_ and-”

“Akko, stop,” Diana commanded, and Akko immediately shut her mouth. Aghhh she didn’t mean to ramble, Diana was probably really annoyed now.

“Please do not put me on a pedestal. I am used to it, the reputation my name carries, but I would like for it to be different with you. I need it to be,” Diana said softly. There was a brief silence until Diana huffed with amusement. “You once proclaimed us ‘rivals’, and I took no heed of the witch with no magical background who ignored tradition. I considered you beneath me, and I was wrong. At the Samhain Fest, you proved how capable you were, and I guess you could say I was enchanted by the pure passion you had for magic. And that is not even taking into consideration how you were chosen by the Claiomh Solais and recovered the seven words of Arcturus.” Akko tried to interrupt, but Diana hushed her. “I am aware that I am rambling at this point but… I just do not want you to underestimate and undervalue yourself.”

“I don't do that,” Akko smiled, grasping Diana's hand that had been resting against her lips mere moments ago. “I’ve always believed in myself and my dreams! It’s just… What will people think of a Cavendish being with someone from a non-witch family, y’know?” Akko shook her head and frowned. “Not that I give a crap what people think. Suki desu, Diana! I don’t care what people say, but I care about how you’d feel about it.”

Diana bit her lip and Akko found her eyes drawn to the motion. “I… I have spent far too much time thinking about that, if I’m honest. But I brought you out here for a reason Akko: I want to be with you. I-I am not saying it will be easy but… I really want to try.”

“Heck yes!” Akko beamed and shuffled closer to Diana. She moved her other hand so it was on top of Diana’s and laced their fingers together. “Be my girlfriend, Diana!”

Diana opened her mouth to speak but Akko held up a finger. She had almost forgot! “One second! I wanna give you something first.” When Diana nodded, Akko pulled a stick out of her sash and held it up with a grin.

“You are giving me… a stick?”

Akko laughed and shook her head. She took out her wand and pointed it at the stick. “ _Metamorph Floreas!”_ she cried, and the stick transformed into a bouquet of flowers. It worked! She had been practicing the spell for a while now, but this was the first time she had successfully transfigured an object into a whole bouquet. She thrust the bouquet towards Diana who was now smiling. “Here! Um, as I said before…. Be my girlfriend, Diana!”

Her heart skipped a beat when Diana giggled and accepted the flowers. “Of course.”

There was a brief silence before Diana spoke again. “I assume this is what you were referring to when you said that you were practicing transfiguration?”

Akko hummed in agreement. “Yup! After the uh… You know what I'm talking about… I wanted to get the spell right for you.”

Diana carefully placed the flowers on the ground, and shuffled closer to Akko. Akko sucked in a deep breath when Diana placed her hand on hers and looked at her with the softest expression she had ever seen grace Diana's face. “So, will you be my girlfriend, Kagari Atsuko?”

Akko was lost in the warmth of Diana's gaze and it took her a moment to reply with a breathless grin. “Hai!”

At her words, something in the atmosphere changed. A charged silence settled between them as they searched each others eyes for _something_. And it was maddening. Akko wasn't even sure what she was looking for, but the tension travelled through Akko and caused her heartbeat to pick up and her gut to flutter sporadically. Perhaps it was the genuine joy that she saw in Diana's eyes, or the.. the -

She licked her lips when she noticed Diana’s gaze flitting between her eyes and lower. _Oh._ That's what she was looking for. She glanced down at Diana's soft lips and bit back a sigh. “Y’know, if you want to kiss me, you could just ask, Diana!” she teased with a smirk after regaining her composure.

“ _Akko!_ ”

“What?” she grinned. “I’m just sayin - mmph!”

Akko’s words were suddenly muffled by the soft press of Diana’s lips on hers and her mind simply _imploded_ . She didn’t even realise that her eyes were still open until they slowly started to drift shut when Diana let go of her hand to cup her cheek. Akko sighed into the kiss, relishing the feel of Diana’s lips, the warmth Akko could feel radiating from the palm on her cheek, and the sweet scent of Diana’s hair that had fallen around her. It was such a chaste kiss, but it was _electric_ and Akko was tingling all over from it; she had never felt more alive.

Akko’s eyes fluttered open when Diana pulled away from the kiss. Akko was speechless, unsure of what to do or say, but gasped when Diana touched her lips with her thumb and smiled bashfully.

“Wow,” she breathed after a heavy silence.

Diana raised a brow, seemingly amused at her dumbfounded expression. “I think I always envisioned you reacting more… explosively.”

Akko blinked and then grinned at what Diana just implied. “So you’ve thought about kissing me before?” She said, an amused lilt in her voice.

Diana’s eyes widened and her eyes flitted away as her cheeks turned red. “I-I… I may have on occasion.”

Akko laughed but then nodded fiercely. “Same. _Wow~_ , it was even better than I imagined though…”

Diana smiled and shook her head ruefully. “You’re incorrigible.”

“I have no idea what that means, but I’m taking it as a compliment.”

“If you wish.”

“Diana? Can you tell me something?”

“Of course..?”

“How long have you liked me? I mean… I’ve liked you for _agessss_ , like, not long after we used Shiny Arc together.”

Diana sighed and a pensive expression grew in her face. She picked up the mug of hot chocolate and took a sip but cringed. “Oh. It’s cold.”

“Ahhh… We should’ve drank it first, huh. Oh well,” Akko mumbled, scratching the back of her head.

“Perhaps. I think I preferred kissing you though.”

A strangled noise escaped Akko’s throat without her permission. “S-So bold!”

“You’re not the only one capable of teasing, Akko,” Diana said with a sly smirk causing Akko to nearly faint on the spot. Oh man that smirk was going to kill her. She just knew it. “But to answer your earlier question… I am not quite sure. I believe I started to consider you... differently after the Missile Crisis, but it only developed into something more… concrete recently. Although it was still prior to you trying to woo me or whatever it was you were attempting to do.”

" _Ehhhhh?!_ You mean I could've just asked you out from the beginning instead of seducing you?!”

“ _S-Seducing me?!”_

 _“_ Err… I may or may not have used Google to try and find out how to get you to like me, haha? So I found this neat site that gave me tips on how to seduce a girl! It kinda turned out to be a sex guide in the end...” Akko mumbled with a red face.

Diana gave her a blank look and pinched the bridge of her nose with an exasperated sigh. “That.... That explains a lot. I cannot believe Barbara was correct. She was merely joking but…” and she trailed off into a dumbstruck mumble.

Akko let go of Diana’s hand and pouted. “Nghhh I’m sorry!” Before Diana could say anything, she turned around and flopped back so her head was in Diana’s lap.

“A-Akko, what do you think you’re doing?!”

“Nothing,” Akko said, still pouting. She crossed her arms and frowned. She really was embarrassed that it turned out to be a sex guide. It wasn’t her fault that she didn’t read it all straight away, okay!? Then Diana’s fingers started running through her hair and Akko relaxed, letting out a small sigh. She closed her eyes and grinned goofily.

“Are you still embarrassed?” Diana asked eventually, but Akko was in a state of bliss. “Nnn, don’t care,” she mumbled. Then a thought occurred to her. She opened her eyes and met Diana’s gaze.

“Did seducing you work though?”

“ _Akko!_ Please do not ruin the moment.”

"I'm not! It's a honest question!" Akko protested, trying to hold back her laughter. Flustering Diana was quickly becoming her favourite thing to do.

Her heart skipped a beat when Diana's bottom lip jutted out in a pout. "I am very much aware that you are trying to rile me, Akko," she said with a glare.

Akko snickered and sat up. "Awww I'm sorry~" she sang, and leaned in to give Diana a quick peck on the lips. "Better?" she asked, and burst into laughter at Diana's red face.

But then it was her turn to blush when Diana ran her hand through Akko's hair and tugged her closer. "Hmm... I am not quite better yet," Diana murmured into her ear. Akko gaped as Diana pulled back and smirked "I believe I require a more sincere apology."

She. Was. _Doomed_.

All Akko could do was nod dumbly and suck in a breath of anticipation as Diana began to lean closer. Akko's eyes fluttered shut when she felt Diana's warm breath mingle with her own. Just a little -

"WHO IS OUT HERE PAST CURFEW?! REVEAL YOURSELF UNLESS YOU WANT DETENTION FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR!"

Akko's eyes snapped open in alarm. She was sure her face mirrored Diana's horrified expression. "It's Finnelan-sensei!" she yelped while scrambling to her feet. "We gotta run!" she cried and held out her hand to Diana. It took a moment for Diana to get over her surprise, but then she grabbed Akko's hand. The moment Diana's hand was in hers, Akko pulled the girl to her feet and took off running, dragging Diana with her. "C'mon! We have to get away from her!"

"But where should we go?!"

Akko looked around, her head swiveling madly as she desperately searched for somewhere to hide. Aghhhhhh she couldn't think of any good spots nearby; her mind had gone completely blank! "I dunno! Anywhere but here!"

So they sprinted away from the sound of Finnelan-sensei's voice and ran and ran and ran until they found another entrance into Luna Nova. She had no idea where Finnelan-sensei was now, but she couldn't take any chances; they needed somewhere to hide until they were definitely in the clear!

Oh! These corridors looked familiar! They were... They were -

"Oh! Chariot-sensei's room is upstairs!" Akko proclaimed, coming to an abrupt halt.

"Akko," Diana hissed after bumping into her. "We cannot bother Professor Chariot at this hour. Besides, she is a professor, she would be obliged to turn us in."

Akko pondered that for a brief moment. "Nahhhhh~" she waved off Diana's concerns and headed towards the stairs. "Chariot-sensei is so cool! She'll understand!"

* * *

 

 _"Agh_  - Where is she?!" Akko groaned after knocking on the door for the nth time. She let her head hit the door with a thunk and whined.

"She is most likely asleep, Akko. We should follow her example and go back to our dorms."

Akko swiveled around to face Diana and gestured wildly with her hands. "That's an awful idea, Diana! I bet Finnelan-sensei is there right now trying to catch us going back there!"

After a moment of consideration, Diana nodded reluctantly. "You... you make a valid point, Akko."

"Of course I do!" Akko crowed triumphantly and crossed her arms. Ah it felt good to be right!

But that was when she was smashed in the back by something solid and she was sent sprawling to the ground in a messy heap.

"Akko!" she heard two voices cry in unison, but Akko just groaned. Damn, she was always the one to get hurt wasn't she?! She picked herself off the ground and was greeted by Diana and Chariot-sensei's worried expressions.

_Oh!_

"Chariot-sensei! You're awake!" she exclaimed whike getting to her feet, and pulled her mentor into a hug.

"Akko are you okay?!" Chariot-sensei fretted, patting Akko down to check for any injuries unseen to the eye. Ah she was such a worry wart!

Akko laughed at her sensei's needless fussing. "I'm fine, Chariot-sensei! But um..." She glanced at Diana and gave a, in her humble opinion, _subtle_ wink. "We need your help!" she cried, and bowed towards her teacher.

"Does this 'help' have to do with anything about you being out after curfew?" Chariot-sensei asked with one brow raised.

"Uhhh... maybe?" Akko gulped.

She heard Diana let out a steady breath beside her. "Yes, Professor Chariot, that is why we require your assistance. I admit the fault is all mine; I asked Akko to meet me after curfew so we could discuss some private matters. I'm sure you understand... I have very little time to spare during the day." Diana ducked her head after she finished speaking, and Akko was convinced she was blushing. Heh. Diana was so cute.

"You willingly broke the rules, Diana?!" Chariot-sensei gasped, her eyes wide in shock.

Diana nodded in confirmation and met Akko's gaze with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Yes, it seems my judgement where Akko is concerned is always a bit.. lacking. She is a terrible influence you see."

_"Hey!"_

"Oh... Akko. Only you would manage to corrupt Luna Nova's star student."

Akko's jaw dropped and she was ready to protest vehemently, but that's when she noticed Chariot's lips tremble in an effort not to laugh. Oh that's how it was, huh!

"Hey! What even is this?! My mentor and girlfriend ganging up on me?! You're all too mean~" Akko whined and plonked her head on Diana's shoulder. She sighed happily when Diana started to run her fingers through her hair. Ah~ It was so soothing, and it lessened her embarrassment. They really were so mean for teasing her like this.

 _"G-Girlfriend?!"_ Chariot-sensei gasped, and she felt Diana flinch beneath her. Crap! She shouldn't have said that…

"I um... well -" Akko began but ended trailing off awkwardly. She moved away from Diana and looked awkwardly around her, not letting her gaze settle on Diana or Chariot-sensei. She really wasn't sure how to explain everything. She wasn't sure how much Diana was comfortable sharing.

"Akko and I are in a relationship, Professor Chariot," Diana stated calmly, but the blush on her cheeks betrayed her nerves. Akko could sense the undertones of worry that coloured Diana's words; she was worried about what Chariot-sensei would say. So she reached over and took Diana's hand in hers, sending Diana a soft smile when she glanced over.

"Akko, Diana, I am so happy for you!" Chariot-sensei gushed, and Akko yelped as herself and Diana were pulled into a hug. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to finally realise each other's feelings!"

"Y-You knew, Professor Chariot?"

"Yes, but you don't need to worry, Diana. I didn’t tell anyone, and it is not my place to tell people anyways."

Diana closed her eyes for a moment and let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Ch-Chariot."

Akko couldn't help but grin at Diana. She was sometimes a bit awkward around Chariot-sensei since no-one but Akko was aware that she was a Shiny Chariot fan. “So will you help us Chariot-sensei?” she asked, making sure to hit Chariot with her best puppy-dog eyes.

Chariot-sensei narrowed her eyes; she knew exactly what Akko was trying to do, but a moment later the older woman sighed ruefully. “What do you need me to do?”

Akko beamed and pumped her fist up in the air with joy. “Woohoo! Finnelan-sensei won’t know what hit her!”

“Wait, _what?!”_

* * *

 

“Operation: Escape Finnelan-sensei is a go,” Ninja-Akko whispered as she crept down the stairs from Chariot’s room.

“Akko, is it really necessary to have these jumpers covering our faces?” Ninja-Diana muttered beside her.

“Uh, _duh!_ We’re ninjas - We can’t let anyone discover who we are,” Akko said as she rolled her eyes. Jeez, did Ninja-Diana not know the first rule of being a ninja?! She heard Ninja-Diana mutter something under her breath, but paid no heed to what she was saying; she was fully concentrating on being as silent as possible.

“Chariot-sensei,” she began quietly, “you know you have to do, right?”

She grinned when Chariot-sensei nodded. This plan was so perfect! At the bottom of the stairs, they split up: Diana and Akko headed back the way they came to sneak back into the dorms, and Chariot-sensei headed towards the dorms. Chariot-sensei would go to the dorms to make sure that Finnelan-sensei wasn’t lurking around to catch them. If she was, Chariot-sensei would do whatever it took to get her to leave!

“Waaaaa-chaaa!” Ninja-Akko cried as she did a flip out of the door. She landed the flip in a crouch and looked around her: No-one was here beside her and Ninja-Diana. “We’re all clear,” she said lowly and crawled across the grass to the nearest shrub.

Glancing behind her, she gasped as Ninja-Diana walked across to her. “Oi! What are you doing, you need to be sneaky!”

“Akko, I absolutely refuse to do whatever it is you’re doing. The jumper is mortifying enough as it is.”

Akko narrowed her eyes at her compatriot. “You’re a terrible ninja, Diana. How did you graduate from ninja school?”

Not-So-Ninja-Diana just sighed and cross her arms. “At this rate, we will be caught before we go back to the dorms. Let us make haste, Akko. And _no,_ I will not act like a ninja.”

“But-” Akko began to protest, but Diana pulled her to her feet. “Hey!”

“I will keep the jumper on, but I am not attempting to flip or do anything else.”

Akko knew that was the closest she was going to get to a proper Ninja-Diana. “Okie dokie, let’s go!” and she squeezed Diana’s hand lightly.

They made it back to the courtyard easily, Akko was almost offended that she didn’t get to show off her ninja skills. She guessed that Finnelan-sensei was the only one who tried to find them… she mustn’t have asked any other teacher to help them. They snuck inside (Diana made her take the jumper off at this point) and the old floorboards nearly gave Akko a heart attack every time they creaked under their weight. This stupid school was so old.

Ah! The dorms were just ahead! Akko peaked around the corner and nearly yelped when she saw an irate Finnelan-sensei talking to Chariot-sensei.

“I know _someone_ is out past curfew,” Finnelan-sensei growled. “They’ll have to come back here at some stage.”

“Hmm usually I love when I’m right, but I want anyone but Finnelan-sensei to be here right now!” Akko whined. Diana merely hummed in agreement behind her, but did not move to peak around the corner.

“We must wait until Professor Chariot convinces Professor Finnelan to leave.”

“I think so too, Anne. I definitely heard someone or something running around near my tower,” said Chariot-sensei.

Finnelan-sensei’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you here so Ur- Chariot? The hot chocolate trail I found went from the kitchen to the courtyard, it was nowhere near your tower.”

A hot chocolate trail. Whoops. She must’ve spilled more of it than she thought.

Akko could not see her mentor’s expression, but she knew Chariot was nervous under Finnelan-sense’s intense stare. “I-I, well, I came to the same conclusion that you did. I thought whoever was breaking curfew would have to return to their dorms at some point. But it seems I was wrong, I’m going to look around my tower, can you help me?”

Finnelan-sensei seemed to accept that answer as she relaxed and looked around the corridor. “I’m sure it’s that Kagari brat sneaking around. It’s not the first time she’s been caught stealing from the kitchen. She’ll come back soon.”

“It’s not fair to blame Akko like that,” Chariot protested. “You have no proof that it’s Akko.”

Finnelan-sensei raised a brow. “You only say that because you’ve always had a soft spot for Kagari, Chariot,” she snorted. “She’s irresponsible and brash, and ignores all our traditions. She’s a disgrace to Luna Nova.

The harsh but… kinda true words caused Akko to frown sadly, but then Diana unexpectedly grasped her arm. “Do not listen to her, Akko. She does not see what Professor Chariot and I do.”

“Anne, do not speak of our students that way!” Chariot-sensei said angrily, crossing her arms. “Akko may be a bit… unorthodox, but you cannot ignore how much she’s improved!”

Akko nodded fiercely. “You’re right, Diana! Finnelan-sensei is just stuck in her ways and can’t deal with how things are changing!” She paled drastically when she realised how loud that had been. Oh crap oh crap.

“Did you hear that? She’s coming back now!” Finnelan-sensei cried triumphantly. Akko yelped when she heard approaching footsteps.

“Run!”

But then she heard Finnelan-sensei cry out in pain and there was a loud thud.

“ _Merde!_ Je suis vraiment désolé...”

“Chariot-sensei, what happened?!” Akko cried as she rounded the corner. She gasped when she noticed Finnelan-sensei slumped on the ground. What the - ?!

Chariot-sensei’s eyes were wide when they met her gaze. She pushed her glasses up her nose nervously. “I uh… I panicked and kicked Anne?” she said in a hushed whisper.

“Wow,” Akko breathed. “I can’t believe you knocked out - _mmph!”_

“Akko, do not finish that sentence. The noise most likely awoke other students,” Diana murmured, her hand still covering Akko’s mouth.” Diana then removed her hand and crouched beside the collapsed teacher. “Professor Finnelan tripped and hit her head, so we must get her adequate medical care.”

“Huh?” was her only response, but after a stern look from Diana, a light bulb went off in Akko’s head. “ _Ohhh_ yeah! Yeah, poor Finnelan-sensei she’s so clumsy~ Let’s bring her into my dorm and you can heal her, right Diana?”

“Yes.”

“Could you help us move Professor Finnelan, Professor Chariot?”

“O-Oh, o-of course!” Chariot-sensei stammered, and awkwardly knelt beside Diana and Finnelan-sensei. Akko still could not believe Chariot-sensei KNOCKED OUT FINNELAN-SENSEI!!! Even though it was kinda bad, Akko thought it was hil -

“Akko, will you please stop staring and help us move Professor Finnelan?”

Oh. Whoops. “Oh right, yeah. My bad, Diana!” she said while rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

So she bent over and had a hold on Finnelan-sensei’s legs (ew ew ew) when Diana said “Akko, what are you doing? We can just levitate Professor Finnelan.”

“Ohhh… yeah.” She had completely forgotten about levitation magic as it was not exactly her strong suit. In fact it was quite the opposite as the items she tried to levitate usually went berserk and crashed all around the place. “I'm gonna leave that to you and Chariot-sensei so, Diana. I don't wanna accidentally smash Finnelan-sensei into a wall, y'know?”

Both Chariot-sensei and Diana blanched at the thought and Akko could honestly not blame them. “W-We can work on your levitation magic another time, Akko,” Chariot-sensei promised. Akko nodded enthusiastically. She really wanted to learn how to do it properly!

So instead she held the door open while Chariot-sensei and Diana levitated Finnelan-sensei onto her bed. _Eww_. She was going to change her bedsheets immediately after this was over.

“So, who's dead?”

Akko let out a squeak of fright and clutched her chest where her heart was pounding a mile an hour. “Jeez Sucy, you scared the crap out of me!”

Akko shuddered at Sucy’s menacing cackle. “That was the point.” Sucy sat up and stared at the lump on Akko’s bed. “Oh it looks like you finally done in Professor Finnelan. I didn't think you had it in you, Akko.”

“That- that wasn't me!” Akko spluttered.

“Professor Finnelan fell and hit her head,” Diana interjected, apparently finally taking pity on Akko. About time! Sucy was really giving her a hard time!

“Hmm. Sure.”

“D-Diana is telling the truth, Sucy,” Chariot-sensei murmured, her eyes trained on the ground. Wow, the poor woman was clearly still in shock.

Akko flinched when a loud yawn reached her ears. “Hnnn what's going on?” Lotte mumbled sleepily as she felt around for her glasses.

“Akko killed Professor Finnelan.”

“What?!” Lotte squeaked, nearly dropping her glasses in surprise.

“Hey! I did not!” Akko pouted and looked away. Stupid Sucy!

“Please ignore Sucy, Lotte. Professor Finnelan merely hit her head so we're healing her,” Diana said with narrowed eyes.

“Oh!” Lotte said meekly, and remained silent. She was probably afraid of annoying Diana with more questions or something.

There was an awkward silence as Diana healed Finnelan-sensei. They all watched the green glow of Diana's magic envelop Finnelan-sensei. Around a minute or so later she stepped back and let out a small sigh. “I believe it worked. We should take her back to her room.”

“I-I can do that, Diana. You've done enough tonight,” Chariot-sensei stammered. “You should all go back to sleep; it's very late.” Chariot-sensei decided to forgo magic this time, and carried Finnelan-sensei out of the room.

“ _Ewww,_ I don’t wanna sleep on my bed now since Finnelan-sensei touched it!”

“Kehkehkeh, I doubt Diana would mind if you slept with her~”

Akko was sure there was some other meaning behind the way Sucy said that sentence, but it actually wasn’t a bad idea! She wanted to kiss - Ah, _talk_ \- to Diana some more anyways! Their night got interrupted by Finnelan-sensei, so they deserved it!

“Di~a~na~”

“No, you are most certainly not sleeping in my bed tonight, Akko!” Diana hissed while staring intently at the wall. Hehe, Akko could see her blush.

“I didn’t even say anything~” Akko denied, grinning with mock offense, and slid closer to her flustered girlfriend. Heh. _Her girlfriend._

 _‘Oh damn that sounded good. Diana Cavendish. My_ girlfriend _.’_

It was then Akko realised she had vocalised her thoughts again. She wasn’t sure what gave it away: Was it Lotte’s squeak of surprise? Sucy’s cackle? Or maybe it was the strangled noise that made its way past Diana’s lips.

Or all three. Hmm yeah, it was probably all three.

“ _Ak-Akko,_ ” Diana started, her voice surprisingly shaky - she was probably just a bit embarrassed if the colour of her cheeks were anything to go by. “I- We need to talk.” And that’s how Akko found herself dragged out of her room and down the corridor until they were out of view of the dorms.

But not before they both heard Sucy’s amused taunt of “Oooo there’s trouble in paradise~”

Akko was ready to storm back into the dorm to give Sucy a piece of her mind, but it was Diana’s grip on her wrist that stopped her.

“Akko… I… I should have stated this earlier but.. but could you not inform everyone of our relationship immediately?”

Akko’s brows narrowed in confusion. “So… you want this to be a secret?” Something her stomach plummeted at the thought. She didn’t… she didn’t want to be anyone’s secret.

“No, it’s not that - I swear!” Diana protested, and her vehemence caused Akko to take a step back in alarm. Her back hit something solid and she looked behind her with wide eyes.

Oh. It was only the wall. She opened her mouth to speak, but Diana continued before she could say anything.

“It is just… a rather large change in our lives and I think, I think -” Diana then clenched her fist and let out a slow shaky breath as she shook her head. “I - I apologise. I let my fears get the best of me. I - “

“Hey,” Akko said softly, and took one of Diana’s hands in hers. Looking down, she unclenched Diana’s fingers one-by-one, and when she was done she interlocked their fingers and looked back up at her girlfriend.

Her girlfriend who had not been hugged since her mother died; her girlfriend who was ridiculously compassionate and kind but never received that same compassion in return from her family; her girlfriend who was always afraid to fail the stupidly high expectations that people placed on her - Akko’s heart throbbed painfully as she took in the genuine fear in Diana’s eyes.

“I understand.”

“You do?”

“Yeah,” Akko said gently, and nodded vigorously when Diana’s mouth opened in surprise. “I do. Chariot-sensei won’t tell anyone - we know she won’t - and I’ll make sure Sucy and Lotte don’t say anything. We - We can do this together at our own pace!”

“Th-Thank you, Akko.”

Akko frowned as Diana’s gaze settled on the ground. “Di-” then something wet landed on her hand. “-ana…?” Oh. Diana was _crying_.

There was only one thing she could do here:

She let go of Diana’s hands and pulled the girl into a hug. But not one of her signature bear-hugs. It was a gentle embrace; one of her arms rested lightly on Diana’s lower back, the other on the back of Diana’s head as she coaxed her into resting on her shoulder.

“I am not crying for the reason you believe,” Diana mumbled into her shoulder after a few moments. Akko gulped when Diana raised her head and met her gaze. “They are not tears of sorrow. I am -  I guess I am relieved. I do not know how else to describe it.” Akko’s breath escaped shakily as Diana moved her hand up to caress her cheek. “You know, if anything, you are deserving of the Cavendish motto of ‘Affectionate’; you have been so considerate of my feelings tonight. Thank you, Akko.”

Akko was speechless for a moment until she realised something. “Are you proposing to me, Diana?” she grinned.

A chuckle escaped her lips when Diana’s face went crimson. Diana’s mouth opened but then she closed it and rolled her eyes. “Your interpretation of my words are clearly different to what I intended,” she huffed amusedly. It was then Akko’s turn to blush as Diana leaned in and pecked her lips. “I was being serious though,” she said after she leaned back again. “Thank you, Akko.”

“You’re welcome, Diana!” Akko beamed, and pulled Diana into what was definitely a bear-hug. After nearly crushing her girlfriend, who was currently gasping for breath, Akko kissed Diana soundly. And _ohhhh it was so good_.

“We should probably head to bed,” Diana said breathlessly sometime later (Akko had completely lost track of time the moment she felt Diana's tongue trace her lips) and tried to remove Akko’s arms from around her neck. As Akko took in Diana’s ruffled hair and kiss-swollen lips one thing crossed her mind: That was the worst idea ever.

“Why~” she whined. She really didn’t want to go to sleep yet. She’d stay in Diana’s arms forever if she could! Which was disgustingly sappy, but whatever.

“Akko!” Diana chastised. “It is really late. And we will not be able to wake up for our morning workout at this rate.”

Akko was thinking of a completely different workout at this point, but she conceded all the same. “Fine,” she muttered petulantly, and let go of Diana. “I’m walking you to your room though.”

“Akko, our rooms are not even that far -”

“Nope! I’m doing it. You can’t stop me!”

They both knew that Diana could stop Akko, but she was hoping Diana wouldn’t call her out on it.

“Fine,” Diana acquiesced, and took Akko’s hand in hers. “You must be quiet however.”

Upon reaching the Blue Team Door, Diana’s hand hesitated above the door knob.  “Diana…?” Akko whispered confusedly. Why was Diana not opening the door?

In a flurry of movement, Diana spun around and pulled Akko close. Any noise of surprise was swallowed by the press of Diana’s lips on hers. The kiss was soft and quick, but Akko could feel the emotions behind it.

It was a promise; a promise that they’d stick together, even if it got hard. Which, considering how annoying people are when it comes to ‘being proper’ and stuff, would definitely happen at some point. But Akko was ready for that! She cared about Diana so so so _soooo_ much! She wouldn’t let anything come between them.

“Goodnight, Akko,” Diana murmured as she finally opened the door. She slipped in and caused Akko’s heart to nearly burst when she looked over her shoulder and smiled.

Ah, she was doomed but she didn’t even care. She had a girlfriend! Diana was her girlfriend! Her soft, kind, smart and ridiculously beautiful girlfriend! Akko wished it wasn’t so late at night because she was really tempted to start singing. And dancing. Just anything really loud because she was so happy!

But she settled for grinning so hard that her cheeks hurt. As she made her way back to her dorm she realised something:

 _Crap_ . Sucy and Lotte were in there and she’d have to explain everything. Sucy was gonna _destroy_ her.

“This is going to be painful,” Akko muttered as she turned the door knob and went inside.

“Ah, back from your quickie are you?”

“ _Sucy!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh. It's finished. This is such a weird feeling. I'd like to thank all my readers, your support gave me the motivation to rewrite the fic and finish this wild ass story! I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it; Akko and Diana are truly best girls and deserve to have their story told until the very end.
> 
> I hope I did their characters justice; I put a lot of thought into their portrayals, particularly Diana is who is a very complex character. SPEAKING OF COMPLEX CHARACTERS WATCH REVUE STARLIGHT!!! KuroMaya has very similar vibes to Diakko so I think you'll like it ;)


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